The next few months were tiring but fun. Often I'd feel like I wasn't learning fast enough, but at those times I tried to laugh instead of do anything else I might've done...yeah. The baby chocobo grew a little, summer passed and fall and then winter started creeping in. By now I felt like I'd always been riding chocobos, always been sleeping in the barn, running around the farm, avoiding the grumpy doctor, running little errands for Jay's friend and the Captain and random members of the team. Being questioned by Reno every night about that last day on Goblin Island and pretending to be asleep so I wouldn't have to answer. I don't know why I didn't want to answer. I guess maybe I felt a little silly...maybe I wasn't sure it was her. Either way, I couldn't bring myself to tell him about it. So day after day came and went and I just kept learning everything Jay and his friend had to teach me about racing. That's what I thought about and did almost all of every hour of every day, when I wasn't doing other necessary things like eating or sleeping.

Finally, one day came when I noticed my family more than usual. They came out and asked the farmer if they could have a little bit of a celebration for me and the other Fluff's 11th birthday. By now everyone had at least partially accepted the fact that Fluffs were at least slightly intelligent, speaking creatures, but I still blushed and hid my embarrassed look behind a drink of juice. Jay immediately leapt on top of his chair in a funny pose and yelled.

"Heck yeah! If it's our little silvery's birthday, we gotta throw a party, I mean come on!"

"And ours too!" Reno, Cait Sith, and Yuffie each said at about the same time in about the same way.

"Right, right!" Jay grinned. "Three times the reason to party!"

The farmer looked perplexed. "It'll just be a small party right?"

Jay giggled. "Yeah man, small! Like, I'll only be inviting my friend and the good old Cap'n, and he'll only be inviting the crew, so yeah, small!"

The farmer fell down onto (lucky guy) a chair. His wife looked equally dismayed.

My mom laughed nervously. "Oh no, really, we just wanted to have a small family celebration...you all don't need to get involved. I was just asking permission."

"Of course you have our permission...I would prefer if it was small though," the farmer's wife said hesitantly.

"Thank you," my mom said politely, and quickly herded us all outside. Jay followed us snickering, and once the door was closed he laughed even louder.

"Heheheh...if we gotta have it in the barn, then sure, but no way is this gonna be a small party!"

Mom and Dad sweatdropped.

Jay was as good or bad as his word. He got nearly everyone involved in organizing a humongous party...or at least, he said it was gonna be the biggest birthday party this place had seen in years. He sent riders out to Midgar to buy presents and decorations, and started people on cleaning up the place. That got the farmer's wife on our side quite a bit more...those guys shined up the old farm better than it had been in a long time, according to the farmer himself. They repainted the fence, cut the lawn (except for in the grazing areas, of course), shined up the chocobo's bridles, cleaned out the stalls and sprayed yummy smelling stuff everywhere. Then they started decorating, stringing up stuff...it was pretty cool.

Jay and his friend turned out to actually be decent cooks and helped out in the kitchen with the farmer and his wife for most of the day before the actual party. Reno, Cait Sith, and Yuffie were all unbelievably excited, and even Reno got a little hyper (with Yuffie and Cait Sith at their top level in energy, you either feel horribly wiped out, or give in and get really really happy)! Somehow everyone still managed to squeeze in my practice sessions, which had now moved from being on Sylkis to the blue chocobo, whose name was...uhm...let me think for a second...the Blue. Well that was what Jay called her most of the time when he was supposed to be serious, but when he got into a joking mood, her name was "Shiva the Icy Chocobo Maiden!". Yep. So Shiva or Blue.

Shiva the Icy Chocobo Maiden was a little younger than Sylkis and a whole lot more energetic. It took me a while to get used to her restless ways, and how she'd take off running at the slightest hint from me that I wanted to go. But it turned out okay in the end- with Jay's friend/brother's help, I got the hang of it after a while, and Shiva and me got to be good friends, just like Sylkis before her. I learned that Charky was their son, and I guess he got most of his temperament from his mom's side, since Sylkis and him are nothing alike. Kind of weird that Charky's above Sylkis in the pecking order...Fluffs don't normally EVER try to make themselves higher than their parents. But Charky is pretty high over the limit of self-importance. I wonder how he and Jay get along so well...Jay's so silly.

Anyway, the night before the party I could hardly sleep. My parents were really flustered and confused by how much of a big deal was being made, but they just went along with it, since there was definitely no way of stopping it from happening by now. There hadn't really been a chance in the beginning either- Jay doesn't get his mind changed very easily when he really decides on something. Yuffie trembled half the night, fighting the urge to scream in glee and run around bouncing off the walls. I could feel it. I don't know how some people stand vibrating beds...it just kept me awake.

"Hey Sephi?" Cait Sith mumbled, clutching his moogle and staring at the ceiling. I rolled over.

"Hmm?"

"It's kind of hard to believe we got thrown off Round Island just a little more than a year ago...isn't it?" he asked quietly.

I thought about that, and realized he was right. "Yeah...it's weird!"

"You think we'll ever see Tilo again? And old Teff?" he murmured sadly. He and Tilo had seemed to hit it off pretty good from the beginning...they had the same kind of temperament and thought about alot of the same things.

"Mm..." I began, squirming a little as I thought of Woffia. Reno thumped me with his tail and I yelped.

"I didn't know you were awake!" I cried.

"You never do," he chucked, then sighed. "Y'know...you still haven't told me about what happened while we were leaving!"

I stiffened and realized it was too late to try and pretend to be asleep again. Cait Sith poked me.

"Huh? Something happened while we were leaving? Leaving where?"

"Goblin Island," Reno grumbled. "And he hasn't told me yet."

Cait Sith rolled onto his stomach and looked at me. "Seph, it's not like you to keep secrets! Why aren't you telling?"

I whined and sat up. "Fine." I was tired of keeping it to myself. "I thought I saw Woffia."

Reno stared at me and I braced myself for a tackle or a yelling or something. Cait Sith gasped.

I just hung my head and waited for Reno to shove me or something. But all that happened was a long silence and then Reno whimpering.

"Was she okay?"

I looked up. Reno looked desperate to know. Cait Sith was watching me too, but all I could do was shrug.

"She looked scared...and well...I don't really know if it was her. Her fur was more red...but I think it was her. She was skinnier though...she looked hungry and..."

Reno looked dismayed. "Did she say anything?"

I shook my head. "We just stared at each other, and then I looked away when you grabbed me, but when I looked back she was gone. She came to get my spinach."

"It was definitely her, then!" Reno cried. I sighed. Cait Sith looked shocked, but then he smiled softly.

"But that means...that at least she got to land. That's good, isn't it?"

Reno just whimpered, then shook his head. "Yeah, but what about the monsters there? What about food? What if she's..."

Cait Sith hugged his moogle. "She's smart...and strong. She's beat all three of us at play fights more than once, remember? She'll be okay..."

Reno didn't look so sure. I sighed and laid back down, squishing myself up against mom for warmth. It wasn't near as cold down here as it would be on Round Island...but still cold. Suddenly that made me think of how cold it must be on Goblin Island now...I shivered.

Cait Sith patted Reno and Reno curled up, obviously unsettled by the news and the thoughts it brought to mind. I swallowed.

"Sorry I didn't tell you..." I whispered, feeling bad now that I had. Cait Sith laid back down too, and we all just sat there thinking about Woffia and the others and wondering where they were. I was sore from falling off Shiva earlier...and had already been feeling kind of tired out and stuff. But I knew now I couldn't even really give up on getting Round Island back from the Fluffs. I wanted it back too much...not just for me. Actually, not hardly at all for me. Sure I missed it...but I was pretty happy here too. I wanted it back so it could be a safe place for Fluffs to live again, and so that the Floofers would get something back for how they'd driven us off. I hugged myself and closed my eyes tight.

The party the next day...it's just a huge blur of awesomeness in my head. I think I got woke up by Jay again...but he was wearing his brightest eye-hurtingly colorful clothes and a funny hat he'd dug out of the farmer's attic as well. It was very...feathery. And I remember blinking hard at the huge colored-in-crayons banner spread out over the front of the barn, big enough for someone in a flying airship to see.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY SEPHIROTHRENOYUFFIEANDCAITSITH! 11!"

And random people's names from the crew were scribbled all over the bottom. Jay made sure to write his in huge block letters in bright pink with little doodles of him, his friend, and me and my family underneath...oh and the grumpy doctor scowling very impressively in crayon. My eyes got big and I ran over and tackled Jay.

"TEACH ME TEACH ME!" I said hyperly, already in a good mood from having a good sleep the night before, despite worry over Woffia. He laughed in shock.

"Whoa, whoa. Teach what? Wha!"

I rubbed my head against him. "To do that!" I let go and pointed at the scribbles on the sign.

Jay giggled. "Sure man, whatever, just let go o' me before someone thinks we're more crazy than we already are!"

I let go, trying to chuck but failing miserably and ended up rolling like Jay did when he first heard talk of Floofers. He still thought their name was utterly hilarious for how evil they "supposedly" (as he put it) were, but I got the feeling he was starting to believe me, if he didn't already.

So as the day went on, and while people randomly threw candy at me and my siblings and parents every few minutes, Jay showed me the basics of stick figures and the art of scribbling. It was great fun! I still felt like his were better by the time he was done with lessons and the farmer's kid wanted his crayons back, but it was still fun.

Lunch was all eaten outside so the farmer's wife could admire her clean kitchen a little while longer. She served us hot choco though, since it was pretty chilly, and that made everyone happy.

Then I had about five runs around the track on Shiva against Charky, and then helped Jay feed the mom and baby chocobo. The baby was getting close to when we could let him go, now, and was a feisty little thing. Nobody had any doubt he'd survive just fine when we finally did let him loose.

Finally, it was time for the party. We all crowded into the back part of the barn and spilled out into the outside. Now the hot choco was really flowing! We all were seated in the middle with everyone crowding around in a circle, and Jay broke through with a big yellow cake with purple icing letters on it with the same message as the banner outside. Yuffie squealed excitedly and we all crowded around when he set it on a stool in the middle of the floor. Then he waved his arms at everyone, went "A one, two, three-!" and everyone burst out into a floor-shaking, but very cool chorus of "Happy Birthday To You!"

I probably grinned bigger than I ever had. Even Jay's friend had a bigger smile than usual. The doctor still looked grumpy but whatever, I didn't care, and not many others did either.

"Now ya all gotta make a wish and blow out the candles at the SAME TIME," Jay commanded.

We all tilted our heads and thought, and then Cait Sith bounced a little and said "Ready?"

"Ready!" We all said.

"One...two...THREE!"

All four of us blew together and those candles went out quick. I forget what I wished for. It might have been that Woffia would be okay. It might have been that the next baby chocobo would be a Gold. It might have been that I would become a good racer. But I just remember sitting back and smiling while people piled presents onto my lap, and in front of the others.

The best present all night long was a pair of silly fuzzy doggy ears that Jay had gotten from some weird costume shop in Midgar on his last trip there. The others were fun but I don't remember all of them. I just remember feeling...really really happy!

The next few months flew by, day in and day out of riding Shiva against Charky out on the track, with a few long-distance rides in between. Jay's friend never came with us on those rides. I still hadn't seen him so much as sit on a chocobo. Finally the day came when I changed which chocobo I was riding on one last time. Everybody gathered around the fenced place at the farm and cheered while we let the little yellow one go. He warked and galloped off like something was chasing him or something, and soon we couldn't see him anymore. Jay patted the Wonderful Chocobo, who by now I'd learned was called Winner. I guess they thought it'd be good luck, I don't know. Anyway, as soon as everybody else started going back to their duties around the farm (the farmer's wife had managed to keep her kitchen spotless even after the birthday by getting random team members to help), Jay's friend nodded at me and pointed at Winner.

"Time to start the real training."

Boy, I hadn't known the meaning of training before. I had to go to bed and wake up at certain times, eat my meals in a rush, all so I could get in as much time as possible on Winner. Charky was getting whipped up into shape too. Winner wasn't quite as...I dunno...competative's not the word, because she really was. She'd fight to get to the front, which was a real problem because then she'd use up all her energy and fall behind worse than ever. I really had to practice pulling her back alot, even more than with Shiva. I guess what I meant was she wasn't as independent. Sure she fought a little when I tried to pull back but when it came to directing, she was the easiest I'd ever ridden so far. And if I wanted her to run as fast as she could, she ran as FAST as she COULD. She wouldn't hold back at all. All in all we got along pretty well, but my hands got beat up from pulling back so much.

It was about two months after we'd let the baby chocobo go. Things were going good, for everyone actually. It seemed like Winner got faster everyday, and I'd gotten lots of clothes earlier on my birthday, so I didn't have to borrow Jay's anymore, and even the doctor had lightened up a little bit because everyone was pretty much healthy and I wasn't raiding his potions stash anymore. It had been months since Jay's friend or me or anyone else had so much as seen a monster, we had all stayed so close to the farm. So everybody was pretty cheerful. Except Jay's friend.

I didn't get why he was suddenly so down all the time. He got down to business and sometimes was even really easy to get mad during practice. I tried not to talk too much and just focus on not making any mistakes he could point out. I was getting really good at pulling Winner back, my arms were alot stronger and she was starting to work better and not be so anxious to get ahead right at the start and just keep going. We'd worked it out so that she could pull ahead and then stay within the top three until the very end- that was our main plan for the races. Everything was going good. I couldn't see what had him so worried. Finally, Jay announced one night (climbing on top of a chair and in a silly pose as usual), that we'd be leaving in a week for our long trip to the Gold Saucer. Nobody seemed real surprised, but afterward I went up and talked to him.

"How come we're leaving in a week? I thought the races we're entering don't start until September..."

"They don't!" Jay grinned. "That's why we're leaving now. It'll give us time to train on the way, and visit some places and have a good time at the same time!"

"Oh!" I nodded. "Okay. So you think you can show me where you live this time?"

Jay nodded. "Probably, if it's alright with him, y'know. We're most likely gonna have to stop there anyway for supplies."

I glanced at Jay's friend...and half brother. He was sitting in a corner looking about the same kind of upset as he had when we'd found out the baby chocobo wasn't Gold. He looked tired too. Jay grabbed one of my shoulders and shook me once in a friendly kinda way.

"C'mon, man, gotta kick those butterflies outta your stomach, alright? They got no place being there anyway."

"Huh...? Butterflies?" I blinked, but Jay just chucked and walked away, waving over his shoulder while he headed to pour himself a glass of water. I tried not to worry about it too much when people said things I didn't understand...it happened alot, too much for me to spend alot of time trying to figure it all out. I didn't have much time for anything now anyway. Butterflies in my stomach? That was weird.

The next week was busier than anything I'd ever seen before. Not only did I have to practice almost all day, when I wasn't practicing I had to pack the few things I had, and help Jay's friend catch wild chocobos. Taming them sure was...interesting. We gave them alot of Pahsana greens, but even then, I got the scary chance to ride one of them around. After getting spoiled from Winner's easy directing-ness, it was really hard to get those wild ones to go where I wanted them to go. I fell off more than once. Finally they were all ready to be used as pack chocobos, to carry all the stuff we were bringing. Jay laughed while he was stuffing his clothes into a bag the day before leaving.

"Man, this would be a whole lot easier if we had an airship. Those things sure beat traveling on foot...and with all the stuff and people we're bringing, we won't be ridin' the chocobos for much of the way, I can tell ya that. It'd take an army of chocobos for everyone who's coming to be able to ride."

"Oh..." Somehow I'd thought I would be riding most of the way. This explained even more why we were leaving months before the actual races started. Jay ruffled my hair.

"Don't worry, you'll still be up on one more than ya might think. You're really turning into a real chocoboy, aren't ya? Getting fond of them birds, eh?"

I blushed and tried to smooth my hair down a little. "Yeah I guess..." I hadn't really thought about it. It was like second nature to ride them now. I'd tried, and when I was on Winner, I always won in races against Yuffie, who was the fastest of us all. It was nice to be able to go fast. I hadn't been able to keep up with any of my family, not since that day I'd run with dad and almost flew. Anyway, riding them kept my mind off other things.

"Hehe...well, I hope ya stick with it." Jay looked at me like I was his little brother or something. I blinked.

"Well I have to, don't I?"

He laughed, but he looked kind of sad. That was something, for Jay. "I mean after we get the Gold."

"Oh." There it was again. Something I hadn't really thought about. I was too caught up in learning how to race and what I was doing now, I'd almost forgotten that there'd still be things to do and stuff after I took back Round Island. I hadn't thought about what I'd do after that. Go look for Woffia and the others who we cared about but might never see again? Keep racing? I realized the Gold chocobo wouldn't be mine. I'd have to find another way to search for my friends. But how? Maybe I would stick around...get my own Gold chocobo after a while. It would take years. I fell over in dismay. Years! Unless they just happened to be in a really really giving kinda mood after I got back from getting Round Island back and said "Here, the next Gold chocobo Charky and Winner have is yours!"

Not really gonna happen, huh?

Jay blinked at me where I'd fallen over. "Huh? What's the matter? You get a head rush? You weren't even sitting down."

I sighed really slowly. "I dunno what I'm gonna do when this is all over. I wanna look for the other Fluffs but I can't really do that by myself...but I can't ask you guys for help, either!"

"What makes ya say that?" Jay blinked. "He told me ya wanted to take your island back, right? That's all there is to it, right?"

I shook my head, feeling confused. "But all the Fluffs got kicked off! There's not much point in taking it back unless I can find them and bring them back, is there?"

"Oh...yeah, you're right. Well, we'll figure something out."

"I hope so," I whimpered. He pulled me up, slapped my back, and walked away, leaving me wincing.

"Don't ya get all worried now. We got a trip to make and races to win, got that? Ya don't gotta worry about things like that right now."

"Kay," I said quietly, but I still wondered.