Yuffie, as the pup was called, was the smallest, youngest wolf that Squall had ever met. She was about as big as a large hunting dog, but with all the characteristics of a pup. She was very sweet as a wolf, just having turned twelve summers; her fur was a rich dark that ate all light, her ears still curved at the very tip with the remains of the puppyish floppy ears that all canine pups had, her eyes were bright, and her paws were big as they pressed on Squall's chest.
She could also bark, something that the other wolves didn't do. They howled and yelped, and made several noises close to barks, with wildling twists. But they did not bark. It was such an unexpected and familiar noise that Squall was instantly drawn to her.
It should have been obvious, Squall reflected later as their group of youths huddled around a temporary campfire, her age and what it implied. But it took Zack's explanation as to why Yuffie had not turned human all day for it to really click; "Yuffie's spent her whole life as a wolf, she received her wolf-heart as a toddler."
Squall looked at the large pup snuggled against his leg, she was sleep with all the excitement during the day. His eyes widened as he recalled; "Ten years …"
Yuffie had only just turned twelve. She must barely remember being human, her wolf body and way of life was all she knew. His hand gently petted her head and those soft ears that showed her age, his heart skipped a beat at the realisation, Squall's hand was shaking slightly.
She's special, he realised.
Yuffie nuzzled closer in her sleep, stretching into Squall's hands and falling into his lap. Everyone chuckled, and Squall patiently rearranged her to lay more comfortably over his lap. He let his hand stay to rest against her shoulder ...
Squall felt Cloud's eyes on him as he marvelled over the precious little girl, one of the few in the Wolfe generation who didn't know what it was to live as a human. Would there be others after her? Other Wolfe-children born as wolves? Or would the ability to flit between forms be somehow passed on through their generations. Could Yuffie be the first of many to come? Or was she the last?
He felt protective of her in this moment. Cloud's curious look melted into warmth, he squeezed the hand he held in understanding.
"Told him all our secrets then, Spike?" Zack mumbled, rolling his eyes.
"She has changed a few times, of course," Tifa pointed out, smiling at Squall in a fond way that reminded Squall of Quistis whenever he made her proud or surpassed her expectations.
Squall privately thought, as he watched her and Zack stretching out comfortably on their log seats, that those who were slightly older before the change must have desired human forms more strongly than the young. Tifa seemed a little uncomfortable now and then with how her shirt rested on her body, and Zack often had to duck lower than he first thought with his height; but they were human, and their clothes showed that they intended to live as human enough to make sturdy handsewn outfits. In their behaviour too, they had learnt how to use tools and start fires for cooking, they had an established human life as well as as wolf one.
Yuffie, on the other hand, had brought a blanket full of chewed holes and rough edges and had used her claws and teeth for tasks. Not like Zack with his bag of clothes or Tifa with a borrowed knife; the youngest pup had little with her to suggest that she intended to change forms now … or maybe ever .
Tifa continued; "I think she mostly was curious as to what her human shape looked like. She's definitely cute, short black hair, brown eyes, wiry thin and a little clumsy on two feet," she laughed, "But she's never remained as a girl for long," Tifa continued, "There's little reason to keep changing while she is so young and carefree, we can speak to her as a wolf or human, and we eat the same, sleep the same …" she shrugged one shoulder, looking at her youngest pack member fondly.
"Unlike her, some of us had things to remember; and Mates to track down and pine over," the raven-haired Zack chuckled. His glowing blue eyes met Cloud's over the fire, and the blond stuck out his tongue.
"If you ever catch a girl's eye, Zack, I hope she's prepared for how immature you are," Tifa snorted, taking a drink from her cantine.
"I can be mature!" Zack whined. Those around him hid their laughs.
"Yuffie also has the option to hunt or track or spy as a wolf," Cloud pointed out, over the snickers of Tifa as she teased Zack across the firepit, "We're not limited to one existence, but she should not be forced to use both if she doesn't want to." His warm weight on Squall's shoulder was better than the little crackle of warm flames in the centre of the circle.
"Would you be a wolf all the time, if you could?" Squall asked Cloud, suddenly worried that his human existence was forcing Cloud to sacrifice his other form.
The blond shook his head, the tips of blond tickled Squall's cheek, "No, not all the time. I've been waiting to be human again for so long, trapped in a wolf body was something of a torture as much as a joy, it forced me to be distant from you," Cloud sighed, recalling the one-sided pining for ten years as Squall grew from boy to young man. "I'm thankful that those chains have been lifted, and I can change as I please, I get the best of both this way. You," he cupped Squall's cheek, "And the freedom of the woods."
Squall watched in awe as Cloud's eyes glowed with an inner warmth, framed by lashes that made his eyes tender. His lover then murmured, "But the best part is no matter what I am you're always there," his cheeks were rosy. "Wolf, human, no matter how many times I change."
Cloud smirked and pressed a finger to Squall's lips, pinching the bottom one gently between thumb and knuckle, "So, don't worry about it."
"I'm not-" Squall started to lie, but he sensed Cloud smirking against his throat; the mischievous glow in his eyes, and his hand squeezed their joined palms to highlight the stiffness Squall carried in his pose. The tension in his back and the stiffened neck.
Cloud had read him from the start, as always.
Squall turned away with a slight snort, this mate-bond was really something … "Okay, I won't anymore."
"Good," Cloud leaned up and kissed Squall's jaw.
"When you're quite done ignoring us," Zack drawled, causing Squall to blush and Cloud to growl in annoyance. Zack grinned unashamed, "Wanna help skin these rabbits, or do you hate getting your catholic fingers bloody, Hunter?"
Squall snorted, "Hardly," and reached for the nearest one, picking up one of the plump rabbits that the five had hunted earlier, in the darkening forest Squall could not help but recall the surprise and glee on the wolves faces when he caught his fair share of the rabbits without a gun.
Cloud lay lazily beside him, eyeing up the rabbits hopping about the small cluster of trees with a calculating look that betrayed his true intent. He and Squall had been resting, at ease, in this elevated spot for several minutes. Observing.
Patience is key, Squall reminded himself, his knife in his boot and within easy reach.
The day was crisp for autumn, the wind blowing colder than expected, the red cloak did it's best to cover Squall and keep him warm and the midday sun did the rest to keep the cold at bay.
Cloud held a knife too in human hand, Squall's good luck charm wrapped securely around the hilt. He shifted soundlessly, and Squall tilted his head to silently ask what opportunity he had seen. Squall weighed their chances at reaching the rabbits before they turned and fled, he deemed it as low due to the distance and their sharp reactions. Though he did believe that if one wandered a bit closer he'd have a shot.
Cloud had spotted something of interest though.
His mate pointed at a log laying low on the ground on the far side of their hiding place, and Squall smirked when he spotted what Cloud had seen. There was another hunter here, a greying fox with his eyes on the rabbits feasting on the fallen fruits and grasses between tree roots and piles of leaves.
Squall eased himself onto the balls of his feet, his knife slid out from Squall's boot and rested in a slack grip; he may need to grab instead of slash, and Cloud agreed with his action; he got up, crouching to prepare to strike as the fox impatiently prowled closer.
Everything tensed at once when the largest rabbit's ears flicked up in instant alert!
But the fox acted rashly and charged, causing chaos as little rodents fled in all directions- Squall launched himself forward towards a scurrying two- and Cloud gracefully pounced to seize his chosen prize.
Squealing in fright, Squall seized one of the shrieking animal around its throat and drew his knife- ending its life quickly. The second had escaped.
The Hunter looked up and saw that the rest of the rabbits had disappeared into the undergrowth, unlikely to appear again in the aftermath of this hunt. He glanced over his shoulder to Cloud and saw the blond waving at a black shadow that charged through the clearing after the scampering rabbits; Yuffie, unable to hold herself back.
Cloud and Squall shared a collective laugh, Cloud turning his into an encouraging hoot as Yuffie veered sharply off course to chase the grey-fox and his pride off into the thicket. Yuffie's huffs, barks and yelps of excitement faded with the snapping of twigs.
Squall grinned, "The fox won too," Cloud gave him a little smile as Squall pocketed his knife after wiping it on the leaves on the ground, "Glad it worked out for all of us, he gave us the earliest chance. One for each of us."
The blond nodded, stepping into Squall's personal space and pressing their lips together, "Yeah …"
Tifa and Zack descended moments later, Tifa clapping while Zack followed a little slack jawed at her heel. "Nice catch, you two," Tifa praised, unable to hold back her wink.
The pair exchanged a glance and smiled wider, Squall's cheeks red with how openly romantic they were acting. He'd been pushing and pulling with himself and Cloud all day, so used to their interactions being in isolation for their own safety; it was so strange to have others here with them. Stranger still, to tell his instinctive panic at being caught that it was an unnecessary response. He was safe here, with these wolves; he and Cloud could be together.
Cloud held his hand and turned his head to smirk at Tifa slightly, "I know."
The brunette girl ignored her smug friend, and peered around him to look deeper into the forest past the two Mates to grin at the signs of their youngest member returning. "Aww. Nice try Yuffie, it just wasn't your hunt." The older girl comforted the glum pup who trailed back empty handed. Tifa sitting back on her heels to give the little pup kisses and attention while she recovered from the failed chase, Yuffie's head remained low.
Squall wanted to say something to help her, to make her see that she wasn't a bad hunter. Watching her tail and ears droop was twisting a knife in his gut, it was as bad as seeing Selphie cry … he took a step away from Cloud.
"Want to try again?" he offered.
Yuffie's ears perked, she looked up at Squall and tilted her head.
He could almost hear her questions. Squall smiled, and bent his knees to be on her level as he spoke, "You and me, want to have one more go at hunting?" he held a hand out as he would to any little girl.
"What?" Zack muttered, confused. "Just you and her, but you're … and she's ... "
Tifa and Cloud elbowed Zack at the same time, making the tallest man whine and shut up, rubbing his ribs and wincing.
Squall tried his best not to laugh. Zell would like Zack, and Tifa too. They're all a bit alike. The Hunter shook his head at their bickering and turned his head back to Yuffie to see if she would agree to a second hunt.
"Uuugh!" The cute puppyish wolf howled and launched at Squall with the force of a horse and slobbered his face and neck with excited licking. Squall could almost hear her happy squeals of 'yes yes yes!' between big swipes of her tongue. After a small struggle, Squall held her at arm's length with hands against her chest and pushed her away to clean his face.
Yuffie whined and jumped off of Squall to attack him with another barrage of licks from all sides, eventually nuzzling into Squall's lap once done slobbering him. "Damnit, ew," he rubbed at his skin, ignoring how the others laughed at him.
Zack crossed his arms, "Ooh, you have competition, Spike."
"Shut up."
Cloud passed Squall a cloth and Squall muttered a soft thanks as he tried to get himself as clean as he could. "What is it with you two and the licking?" Squall grumbled, quickly putting a hand on Yuffie's muzzle to stop her from undoing his attempts at washing off her saliva. "Lick me again and I'll go home." he deadpanned.
Yuffie sank back down, tail wagging but at least keeping her tongue to herself.
"She likes you," Tifa chuckled.
"I hadn't noticed," Squall grumbled back, throwing the cloth back to Cloud, Tifa howled with laughter.
His Mate knelt down and brushed Squall's hair out of his eyes, Cloud smirked at him and whispered an amusing thought; "You are the wolf boy afterall. Is it that surprising that you're winning my pack over one kind gesture at a time?"
Squall flicked Cloud on the nose.
Cloud just grinned and pecked Squall's temple. "Don't be mad with her, she's just excited, no one's ever offered her private lessons before." He looked at the pup when she raised her head up, "Right. She says that no one has taken her this seriously before, she's very happy."
"I'm not mad," Squall addressed Yuffie, scratching her ears gently, "But I'm not fine with being licked all over. It stinks." He covered Cloud's mouth when he saw the blond looking mischievous. "Same for you, Cloud. Don't even think about it."
To the chorus of Wolfe's laughing, the blond relented and helped Squall to his feet, "Alright, alright. Teasing over." Cloud pulled Squall in close to whisper; "I'll show you to a stream after you've shown Yuffie a trick or two. You can wash off properly there."
Squall almost asked to go now with how much he thought he smelt, but Yuffie took a careful mouthful of the red cloak and gently pulled, ready to go; her tail moving so fast her entire body wriggled!
Of course, Squall felt his lips turn up against his will. He was helpless against her youthful joy, the bath could wait; "Okay," he patted her head, "Let's go."
Zack put his hands on his hips and leaned down to their youngest friend, "Eager to start? I like it! You get 'em Yuffie!" He gestured for Cloud to join him, nodding up at the place where he and Tifa had appeared from, "We'll keep our distance so you're undisturbed," Zack smirked, something smug in his expression, "But we'll be watching, Hunter."
Cloud frowned at him, not liking his tone. Tifa rescued the situation with a roll of her eyes.
"Good luck," Tifa offered, dragging Zack away by his ear to punish him for that combative tone of voice. "Zack, you don't have to provoke him like that, he's our friend." Squall overheard her say, glad to know that he hadn't been imagining those antagonistic vibes.
"I know, Tifa … It's just so weird." Whatever else Zack said was cut off by Cloud, stealing a kiss and distracting Squall from listening any further to the retreating wolves.
Cloud met his eyes and squeezed his hand, "You can do it, both of you." He patted Yuffie's ears and she barked back at him. Squall smiled and nodded, silently confident. Cloud's cheeks dimpled slightly as his smile widened. "Knock Zack's ego back a bit and win," he hissed for Squall's ears only.
Squall smirked, "It'll be my pleasure."
Glowing blue eyes darkened a little in a way that had Squall's stomach flipping. Cloud nuzzled against him one last time, unable to help himself. "We won't be far," Cloud promised, and then turned to walk into the woods- vanishing like they seemed to
As Squall and Yuffie tracked, they improvised their ways of communication. There was a language barrier that Squall couldn't break whenever Yuffied tried to say something complex, and Yuffie's inexperience showed with how she sometimes failed to listen to Squall and brought them off track. However, they each focused on coming back with prizes to impress their friends, and they improvised. Squall would lead and Yuffie walked at his side, and whenever she paused to investigate something her acute senses detected, Squall would stop and listen to her.
Even with these newfound difficulties, they had enough skills between them with Squall's experience and Yuffie's senses to track down a new cluster of rabbits a fair distance from where they had started.
Squall lessened his long strides and brought his weight forward to the balls of his feet, stealthily moving forward and pulling out his knife. Yuffie lowered herself too and moved forward on dainty trots of her paws. They were at the edge of the thick treeline and from this point Squall would have to stop- there was no further cover for someone his size.
Yuffie on the other hand-
Immediately, Squall put a hand on Yuffie's back and tapped her shoulder; he saw how eager she was to charge in and chase, so he had to stop her. If she was allowed to repeat the old hunt's mistakes she'd never learn.
Squall took a breath. He'd never taught anyone else before, so passed on the only piece of advice that had served him well over the years.
He leaned in close and spoke softly, for her ears only. "Patience is Key, Yuffie. You get one chance to make the kill, so it's best to wait for an opportunity. The fox from before gave us our advantage, I know you were watching, now you need to wait for yours. If you miss, it's a loss, but you only have to come out on top once; those rabbits need to be a step ahead every time." He indicated for them to hide a little closer, "Have patience, and you will win more hunts than you lose. Now try to hide a little closer, and be as patient as you can."
Yuffie pushed against his hand, eyes bright and attentive … and then she licked his palm.
Squall sighed to himself, and wiped his hand clean on the grass as Yuffie sank low to the forest floor and prowled ever closer; her fur and small stature giving her an advantage Squall couldn't match.
The human hovered by a thicker cluster of trees, Yuffie was over five feet ahead of him, eyes fixated on the smaller creatures. They hopped about, nibbling on the grass and rustling the fallen leaves, fur thick and dark with the winter approaching.
Yuffie did as Squall instructed and watched from cover. She tensed several times when one made a sudden movement nearby, unable to help herself, but she held true to Squall's advice and waited. Squall nodded to himself, this was a good start.
But, he knew that being patient was a lot to ask of someone so young. Stretching the limit of how long one could wait was a skill he was proficient at, as was Cloud. Yuffie on the other hand would have a hard time keeping position ...
They waited for several minutes, then some. Squall's legs hurt with crouching for so long, but he kept his eyes ahead, shifting as much as he dared to keep himself primed for action.
Yuffie was still as stone.
A rabbit hopped closer to Yuffie, she tensed. It was fat, and fluffy, and oblivious to her. Squall saw her shift her weight.
No not yet! Squall willed, it was still too far, she's never close the distance in time before it saw her.
"Patience," he whispered.
Yuffie's ear flicked, and she relaxed.
Squall was relieved that she had heard him, and more relieved to see that their prey was none the wiser. It was a risk to make noise while stalking prey, but he didn't want Yuffie to fail. She would be so disappointed in herself. Yuffie only needed a little support, Squall thought to himself, a bit of encouragement and guidance on the skills that came from experience would turn her into a professional huntress in no time.
I'm sure Zack would be willing to help her out, if only to rival me and my offers of lessons. Yuffie needs someone who understands her Wolf instincts much better than me, but I will do what I can for her. Squall perked up as an instinct of his own alerted him to several pairs of eyes on him.
But it was a familiar sensation. He let the tension go almost as soon as he reacted.
Squall resisted the urge to turn around: it was Cloud, and likely the other two. They must be nearby and watching. Squall refocused after mentally figuring out where they were standing (how far away Cloud was standing), Yuffie's lesson came first.
In another few minutes the rabbit had come even closer. Squall felt better about her chances, so was prepared to let her fly loose whenever Yuffie chose to pounce.
The seconds ticked by ...
To his surprise, she kept waiting. Had she fallen asleep?
Another few minutes passed, the rabbit turned his back to hop back to his hole- and Yuffie launched herself over her cover and atop the squeaking creature like an arrow flying from a bow! She landed perfectly, and her teeth snapped shut around it's bulk.
Squall leaned forward, eyes bright. He didn't care that he had nothing to show for this hunt; Yuffie had caught one!
The rabbit squeaked and squeeled some more, Yuffie's inexperience making the kill unclean, but at last it was silent. The rest of the rabbits had fled the scene, and left only the successful huntress and her prey.
Yuffie's bright brown eyes turned up, sparkling with the thrill of the success as Squall rushed over. Cloud, Zack and Tifa howled in victory, and Squall felt the urge to join. He clapped his hands a few times and then Yuffie launched herself into his open arms! Squall squeezed her as they toppled, laughing together in the grass.
So proud of her, Squall didn't mind the one or two licks she snuck in against his cheek.
Rabbits skinned and cooking, save for one, Tifa and Zack tended to the fire. The spits the animals hung from were periodically turned, Zack keeping the meat turning while Tifa aided the direction of the smoke.
As Squall cleaned his bloodied hands the brown eyed girl looked his way. "Are you sure you're okay with us taking these skins?" Tifa checked with Squall for the third time, "We can always hunt for more?"
Squall smiled, the rabbit skins in question in a pile by her side at his insistence. "No, you take them, I've got plenty at my house, er, den," he corrected himself. It earned a couple of amused noises from his company as he used their prefered name for home. Squall glanced at Cloud, sharpening their knives beside him, "Thanks to Cloud I've got the most furs I've ever had this summer. He insisted that I take back as much as I could when I could."
Tifa nodded, remembering the times she had been on watch most likely …
"It's good that you have a stockpile. If you need anything else then please let Cloud know, I'll scout for a few extra things for you too."
"Me three, and so will Yuffie now she's learnt how to wait out the prey," Zack added as he turned the meat over by the fire. Squall asked the group if it would be invalidating the challenge to supply him ahead of time, but Zack snorted and shook his head, "Come now, we're not animals. Angeal gave you preparation time, didn't he?" he smirked as Tifa ruffled his hair, growling playfully at her as she got his unruly, raven hair in his face.
The girl released him after growling herself. She tapped her chin thoughtfully, "Angeal never said that you couldn't have help stocking up," Tifa agreed, her eyes bright as she considered the possibilities. "Hey Cloud, can you let us know next time you're coming down? We'll put together a bag for you to take, and you'll need one too- though maybe not as big since you'll be travelling as a wolf, right?"
Delighted by their willingness to help, Cloud enthusiastically began a list of all the things back at his home that he'd happily donate to Squall since he'd be absent this winter.
Squall tried to listen, but his heart felt heavy when he thought of Cloud so far away in distant lands … too far to howl … too far to reach … what if he was gone forever? Out of no fault of his own?
Squall shook off the oncoming sadness and he turned to the sleeping wolf instead, Yuffie. Napping still against his leg … she must have been so tired, not even the smell of cooking food had woken her, or the raw cuts of meat previously prepared.
It wouldn't do for a strong, growing huntress to skip a meal ... Squall picked up her kill. A plump rabbit, the many teeth marks in it's hide made it poor for skinning, but perhaps she'd like it for her own. She deserved it.
Yuffie's head perked up when Squall gently shook her awake, "Hey pup." He greeted.
Her furry head nuzzled him fondly.
Squall smiled, her brown eyes were warm as was her fur. She was so soft to touch, and floppy with sleep as she leaned heavily against him when he resettled himself by her side. Squall chuckled and presented the rabbit to her after she was done yawning. "Here, eat up, little huntress. You've earned it."
The young wolf sniffed at the rabbit and her tail wagged when she saw it was the one she had caught. Squall gave her a proud scratch across her ears that made the young wolf's tail thump in joy. He tuned out the sound of cracking bones and chewing to relax into the quiet atmosphere. So friendly and welcoming …
Cloud appeared, of course he had seen Squall's dip in mood. The blond was now a wolf too, beautiful blue eyes and fur of varying shades of grey, warm and thick to the touch and tall enough to reach Squall's chest on all fours.
Squall smiled at the sight of Cloud's wolf form, a comforting sight to him now. The wolf butted his head against Squall's. The brunet sighed, reaching up to scratch at Cloud's ruff.
"Hey," Squall held Cloud's jaw to press their foreheads together. I'm okay, Cloud.
I know you're worried, but you're also happy. I'm glad.
I'll miss you. But for now, lay with me?
I will. I've got you.
Squall let Cloud go and the larger wolf curled around his back, creating a wonderful backrest of warm fur and solid muscle. Squall was thankful that Cloud was so much larger than a typical wolf, his bulk was enough to entirely support him. Yuffie snuggled back against Squall's legs the moment that the Hunter was done getting comfortable against Cloud's flank. Squall idly ran his hand over her fur, and Cloud's too as his Mate rested his head against Squall's chest.
The warmth, the comfort, the serenity of the woods and the happiness of the day sent Squall slowly drifting off to sleep before he realised that two other bodies had joined them.
Tifa nuzzled Cloud's head, "He's asleep."
Cloud perked up, ears forward, "Already?" Cloud swiftly inspected Squall from his position to check that all was well. To his relief, Cloud saw that Squall was comfortable, and showed only the signs of contentedness.
The wolf felt his heart beat heavily with love. He nuzzled Squall's chest and curled around him even tighter, determined to protect his Mate's moments of peace.
"Today was fun, let's all be together again soon, before you leave." She delicately stepped around Yuffie and Squall's legs, her paws not leaving a mark on the floor, and then she curled on Squall's other side, relaxing there in a protective pile of fur. Her head rested near Squall's shoulder.
"We should, Squall's not had a lot of friends, I can tell he was enjoying himself. He must have wore himself out as much as Yuffie did."Cloud licked at Squall's sleeping face, making the human grumble in his sleep, hating the sensation. Cloud's wolf eyes lazily half-closed with a happy expression. He returned to resting his furry head upon Squall's chest, humming in happiness when Squall's fingertips somehow found their way into the fur of his neck and absently scratched. Squall you're wonderful, Cloud thought to himself, letting himself get comfortable against his Mate.
Zack chuckled, licking Yuffie's jaw to wipe away the blood from his fellow wolf's fur. Both jet black wolves taking their places around Squall's legs.
Yuffie let out a small whine before Zack could settle, and all wolves turned to her in concern, ears raised.
"Squally hasn't eaten," Yuffie pressed her head into his stomach and sighed.
Zack licked Yuffie's cheek and nuzzled her fondly, "I've saved something for the Hunter, it's alright. He can have the biggest amount in the morning," the alpha in training soothed her, licking at her ear.
The smallest yipped in happiness and got settled again, pleased that Squall would be provided for when he woke.
Zack nudged Cloud softly to get his attention, "He's strong, Spike. There's no need to worry, Angeal's right."
Cloud opened one eye and sighed, "I can't help but worry … I love him."
"I love Squally too, " Yuffie agreed, her ears back.
Tifa huffed to get their attention, "You can tell him that in the morning, you two. Now be quiet, you'll wake him," Tifa tucked a lock of hair out of Squall's face with her nose. Cloud's eyes softened as he watched his best friend fuss over his Mate with all the care of a big sister, and a mama wolf. She curled up with her head upon Squall's shoulder, "I wish you could hear me like this, Squall. Sweet dreams."
The Hunter smiled in his sleep …