The forest was thick and lush around them. The ground was covered with branches and trunks and small thorny bushes that made walking quite the challenge. Thankfully for him, he had something of an advantage in the jungle, and could slip through the vegetation without a tuft of fur left on a wayward branch.
Nanaki crawled low under the drooping branches and vines, letting them brush lightly against his back as he passed, then turned to see how the rest of the party was doing. He'd been assigned as a guide, although he knew nothing of these lands, if only because he had less trouble finding paths and would be quick if trouble stirred.
First he saw Yuffie, who was small and agile and could be remotely quick even in the dense vegetation. Nanaki smiled to himself; hacking down everything in her path with her weapon helped, of course, and it ultimately helped the others.
Once he'd had the affirmative that he could go on safely, Nanaki turned and resumed his walk, treading over and under fallen trees and bushes, avoiding the many obstacles of a jungle, keeping his senses on high alert. That was another reason why he was scout; amongst the thick scents of the forest, he would be the only one capable of discerning any enemy smell.
Hopefully it wouldn't come from the rear.
It was while carefully stepping over a puddle of water that Nanaki realized night was falling. The canopy of trees had thinned just enough for him to see a tiny patch of sky reflected in the water. He looked up. The first stars could be seen in the darkening sky. It was time to set up camp.
Another reason why he was first: in the permanent gloom of the jungle, his tail was an easy beacon to follow.
In the Gongaga jungles, camp was a relative word. Nanaki found the biggest part of thin vegetationthat he could, yet there was barely enough space for one person to sit directly on the floor. They'd have to make due with trunks and roots and branches for those capable of climbing high enough.
By the time the whole group had gathered, a thin mist of cold rain was falling, soaking everything and everyone to the core. Nanaki found himself a spot under a fallen trunk where he was remotely sheltered, his one good eye shining in the dark. He despised how the water took no notice of his fur and settled in his bones.
"It's getting cold. We should start a fire," Tifa suggested, but she didn't sound as if she agreed to it herself. Looking at the living combustibles surrounding them, it was no surprise.
"We can't, it's too dangerous," Cloud confirmed. Yuffie complained loudly.
Silence fell, with the group trying to find positions comfortable enough to allow them some amount of restless sleep. Nanaki watched them, and thought that he was glad to be what he was, to be able to find comfort and shelter in the mud under a rotting trunk. Nonetheless, he curled his limbs tighter around himself to maintain as much heat as he could.
In the light of his tail's fire, he saw Yuffie pointing down at him with an accusatory expression.
"Hey! That's totally unfair! Don't go keeping that fire all to yourself!" she proclaimed, making her way so she was sitting atop the fallen trunk and bending over him. She thrust out her hands towards his tail.
Nanaki let her do it with an inward chuckle. She would be sadly disappointed.
"Uh? How come it's not hot?" she demanded, puzzled.
Nanaki twisted his neck so he could look up at her. "It's not regular fire. It doesn't burn," he explained succinctly. He was uneasy about going into the details and wished that she would accept that simple answer.
"That's logical, otherwise this whole jungle would have been ablaze by now," Aeris commented. Nanaki nodded to her; it was a question he'd thought would have come up earlier than now.
"That's so useless!" Yuffie threw her arms up in exasperation. Now Nanaki did smile, a wide, toothy animal grin.
"Would you rather go without its light?" he teased lightly, cocking his head to the side curiously.
Yuffie grumbled something in return and words were exchanged with the others, but he'd stopped paying attention. He looked at the shadows his flame threw on the leaves all around and knew that his sleep would not be peaceful.
"Mommy, what happens if it goes out?"
His mother looked down at him very seriously and motioned for him to come closer.
"I'll tell you something important now, Nanaki, so listen carefully." He nodded energetically; he liked when his mother told him something important, it made him feel grown-up.
"We are the guardians of this canyon, the protectors of the knowledge. It's a very important task, to protect lives. When our species was first given that task, it is said that the gods would give us help, because it was so important and hard. So they gave us light."
Nanaki frowned. He didn't understand how light could be so useful.
"That way, we would never lose our way and would always be able to chase away the creatures of darkness that would harm us and those we protect."
"Oh, I understand!" Nanaki was proud of himself, but he cowered a little when his mother snapped at him to be silent and listen, that the most important was to come.
"That light is a blessing, Nanaki, it can't be treated lightly." Her tone softened. "It's like your heart; it'll burn out only when your heart stops, and falter when it does. So you take good care, now."
He'd nodded his understanding. It was only when he'd seen his mother die that he'd realized he hadn't understood at all.