Cloud drove Fenrir through the thick forests surrounding Nibelheim, returning from Rocket Town through a mountain pass before finally entering into the familiar woods that surrounded his rebuilt hometown. The road was recently paved by the WRO, smoother than the usual country roads he traveled almost daily. Cloud swayed Fenrir slightly side to side, the movement a precautionary measure against his motion sickness. The forest was void of light except for whatever little moonlight sliced through the canopy, not that it was a problem for him.

His pace was relatively slow considering his usual speeds despite his eyesight, he always worried in the back of his head that a deer would shoot out in front of him for the umpteenth time in his journeys. The night hugged him, the high beam of his bike cutting a small triangle of light that pushed through the silver speckled darkness. Cloud had been gone from home for two days to deliver a package to one of Cid's neighbors; the pay for such a far away place from Edge was good. Still, he hoped to cut his return time down some, planning on resting in his tent as soon as he was across the river from Nibelheim. He didn't want to spend the night in that cursed, soulless husk of a hometown erected by Shinra and repopulated by the desperate, even if the inn had warm beds. No, his sleeping bag would give gentler dreams.

Cloud made his way deeper into the forest, wanting to reach the vast fields and meadows beyond quickly. As a child the woods gave him the creeps, with the howl of Nibel Wolves crawling into his nightmares. Even now the cries made their way to his ears, but instead of far away as he had heard when he was younger, they sounded much closer. He noticed a glimmer of movement out of the side of his eye; whatever Fenrir's light didn't reveal, his mako enhanced eyes would pick up clearly in monochrome. What he saw made him give pause to study it. It was a large, unusual looking wolf with monstrous claws that was running towards the side of Fenrir, looking at its target: Cloud. The two locked eyes for what seemed like an eternity to the delivery boy.

It wasn't that unusual for Cloud to come across wolves in this part of the world, but what was unusual was this one's speed, claws and face. The face had no fur and had an unusual nose on its muzzle, darkened and with elongated nostrils. Its forearms and paws were similarly hairless, and it was gaining on his motorcycle with a strange stride. He couldn't tell if it was perhaps a freak animal or some hideous mutation from either a long dip in a pool of mako or an escapee of the Nibelheim mansion. Was it smiling at him? He didn't like where this might be going, he thought.

The wolf monster lunged with a hideous growl, and Cloud attempted to dodge it by sliding his bike and smacking the blunt part of the blade of the First Tsurugi into the beast's side, hard. It bounced off the pavement with a yelp, and for a moment he watched as the wolf-thing limped towards the other side of the road all the while studying the young man intently. Cloud turned and straightened Fenrir, then headed back towards the plains beyond Nibelheim. He sped up as adrenaline coursed through him, attempting to leave those nightmare woods behind him. He thought he heard the scream of some animal at his back, his spine tingling from the primal screech, and despite his better judgement he floored his bike. At last he exploded out of the woods and into an endless, moonlit plain dotted with villages here and there.

Relieved, Cloud let out a sigh. It wasn't unusual to be attacked by monsters and certain animals on the road, but the claustrophobic battle arena of a moving forest road wasn't his favorite place to rumble, especially at night. Despite his good vision in the dark, it was still a risky endeavor while speeding about. And when he didn't need to kill, he didn't. It would save time and save him from possible injury, even if his injuries healed quickly; he hated making Tifa worry when ever he came home with a few scratches or bruises or a gash on his head. Traveling on, he looked at the horizon to take note of how much further he would go before settling for the night. Cloud yawned despite the lingering adrenaline from his short skirmish, keeping him jittery and on the look out for more attackers.

About an hour later by his reckoning, Cloud stopped at a familiar camp ground maintained for travelers that was almost at the Nibel River; it was abandoned tonight except for himself. He set up his tent in silence and pondered setting up a campfire. His blanket would keep him warm enough in this weather, he supposed. As he laid in his sleeping bag, he sent Tifa a message so she knew he was safe, and sent another to Yuffie, who was asking about some inane subject as she usually did. She always played the role of the annoying little sister well, the thought stirring his tenderness for his young friend who stuck with him through tough times. As he was about to go to sleep, he winced as a pain shot up his arm as he placed it down. His hand instinctively grasped at the source of the trouble. He felt something sticky and wet, and he pulled his hand away and towards his gently glowing eyes: blood. Great.

He quickly left his tent and began rummaging though one of Fenrir's compartments for gauze to cover the long gash on his forearm. He must have gotten it when that wolf attacked him, Cloud reasoned. He must not have moved fast enough when it jumped him. It didn't look that deep from what he could tell and it surprised him that it hadn't healed up already. After wrapping his left forearm he went back to his tent, unceremoniously plopping back down and into his sleeping bag. He laid on his back, slowly being lulled to sleep by the sounds of crickets and the breeze through a nearby grove of trees.

A dream skittered across Cloud's mind as he slept, different than his usual nightmares of the past and dreams of the present. Bits and pieces, of fangs, fur and claws and a heat in his chest that wanted to burst out and burn everything. The sensation of chasing something in the darkness, the taste of coppery blood in his mouth...

Cloud shot up from his bedroll, hands clinging to the blanket as if it were security from his dream. He licked his lips, the faint taste of blood still lingering in his mouth from the dream; he disliked the tang that stubbornly clung to his tongue. He looked about while yawning, the first rays of morning light filtering into his tent and illuminating the small space. Cloud looked down at his injured arm, hoping it would have closed up during the night as most injuries on him did. Slowly, he unwrapped part of it to check, and peered at the injury with a frown. It seemed slightly inflamed, though the edges were taking on the familiar shape that were a precursor to his rapid healing. It was still weeping blood in the middle. Cloud pondered what could possibly slowing down his healing, but decided not to worry too much. He wondered if materia or a potion would fix it up later.

Cleaning up his campsite and dismantling his tent, he stored the small bundle in another of his bike's compartments, then took out a small breakfast bar and his water canteen. As he munched on his meal, he watched the sunrise alone, contemplating his reunion with Tifa and the children as the rays of golden light grew stronger. He hoped to keep jobs like this at a minimum if he could help it, wanting to make up for lost time from his Geostigma days. He mentally kicked himself for the hundredth time for that. '...No need to worry about that anymore.'

Before leaving to continue his journey Cloud took out one of the potions he kept in Fenrir. After partially unwrapping the gauze on his arm he pulled the top off of the bottle with his teeth, then gently dribbled the potion over the wound. It slowly oozed into the cut, stinging the flesh as it began to work. Cloud's brow furrowed as the potion seemed to sputter out, stopping most of the bleeding in the deepest part but barely doing anything to the rest of the cut. He wondered if the monster had some sort of strange ability that made its injuries harder to heal. It wasn't impossible, but it was worrisome that something like that existed. With a wary sigh Cloud wrapped up his arm and sat himself on his bike. It would heal, it would just take a while. That was all.

The rest of Cloud's trip was uneventful, the courier taking some shortcuts to get to a ferry that had been set up by the WRO south of Gongaga and taking it to Edge. The evening closing in on the city as he gently pushed Fenrir off the boat, he sat back upon the bike and drove towards his home, Seventh Heaven. It wasn't that far from the docks, about five city blocks on one of the minor streets in the center of the city. Making a turn into the alley that led into the garage, he turned off his bike and hopped off. He brought Fenrir into the garage and then put down the kickstand before he closed the automatic door. He knew Tifa would be pleasantly surprised that he had come home a little early, though she was probably too busy with the bar to notice he was home. The room was pitch black to anyone but him, and Cloud made his way to the door that would lead him behind Tifa's bar.

Cloud winced as his eyes readjusted to the light of the bar. Taking a few steps forward he looked over towards the front of the business. The evening rush did not seem particularly busy though the regulars were eating and drinking as usual. Taking a few more steps he craned his neck into the bar, watching Tifa as she washed a glass in the sink. She looked up and smiled, and Cloud returned the gesture as he walked closer. She placed the glass to the side of the sink and gave him a tight hug, glad to see him after three days. He returned the embrace, his hands wrapping around her waist and his cheek snuggling against the base of her forehead.

"Cloud! How was your delivery? You said you weren't going to be back for another day!"

"Surprise," he deadpanned.

Tifa giggled a little before parting from him. She looked down at Cloud's arms, and frowned as she eyed the gauze. She took his left hand in hers and examined his arm, the dried blotches of blood crusting parts of the otherwise clean, white surface. "Oh, Cloud...What happened?" Tifa looked up into his cerulean eyes. Her ruby irises revealed her concern, her head slightly tilted to the side questioningly.

"It's nothing Teef, got into a tussle with a wolf while I was coming back home." He scratched the back of his head, a small smile on his lips as she finished her examination of his injury. "I better change the bandages on it now, anyway. It's gettin' itchy." He gave her hand a squeeze and then made his way up towards their living quarters. He could hear Tifa beginning to usher her patrons out as they finished meals and drinks. Evenings where he came home early usually resulted in the bar closing soon after if it wasn't too busy.

He silently listened ahead, his advanced hearing making out Denzel and Marlene working on homework before dinner. The sounds of flipping pages and scribbling came to his ears. Cloud decided not to greet them just yet, feeling in dire need of a shower and a change of gauze first. He quietly entered Tifa's and his room, gathering up a black shirt and pajama pants while taking off his heavy boots and pauldron, his long sash coming off next followed by his gloves and leather bracer. He carefully walked toward the bathroom, closing the door behind him and removing the rest of his clothes save for his boxers.

Cloud sat on the edge of the bathtub, unwrapping his wound to inspect it a bit better. He winced as it took off with a hair here and there, ripped out by the dried blood caking it. With a frown, he placed his fingers at the edge of the gash, the flesh warm and a little puffy. He wondered if it had become infected. He looked closer, the stubborn wound consternating him. The outside of the wound was indeed closing up, but the inside still weeped blood. He sighed as he put his arm down. Best to take a shower and clean the wound with soap and hot water, he decided. Maybe later he would hit it with a Restore materia, if it wasn't infected.

Half an hour later he was downstairs, wearing clean clothing and fresh bandages. The children charged him, ramming into his legs with the force of a thousand little hugs, and he ruffled their hair and squeezed them back happily with a smile on his face. They returned to their seats after a lingering moment, Cloud sitting next to Tifa after she served them their plates of food; she had made a casserole that had been popular back in their hometown before it had burned to the ground, and was still commonly eaten in the Nibel area. Despite the terrible memories they had never touched the nostalgia of their childhood cuisine.

"Hey, Cloud, what happened to your arm?" Denzel asked, pointing his fork towards the bandaged arm. Marlene looked over with her utensil in her mouth, eyebrows raised while observing her spiky haired guardian. Cloud swallowed his mouthful and lifted up his arm, the clean gauze unmarred by blood. The shower had thoroughly cleaned the wound, but it still ached.

"It was just a wolf attack, guys. It'll heal in a couple of days," he replied before taking another scoop of his meal.

Marlene bounced in her chair. "Was it a big, bad wolf?!"

Cloud thought back to the skirmish. He closed his eyes as he pictured what he saw in the dark. "Yeah, it was a pretty big wolf. Weird lookin', with these big front claws. It ran away after I hit it with my sword, though."

Denzel swirled some noodles on his plate, his jaw tensing. "Maybe...it was a werewolf?" He looked up to see Cloud frowning at him.

"I don't think those exist, Denzel," Tifa said. Cloud nodded as he chewed on his food.

"They're in the back of my old monster encyclopedia, Mr. Tuesti's mother gave it to me," Denzel replied. "You can look at it Cloud, if you want."

Cloud shook his head. "I don't think I've ever heard of werewolves outside of folklore, Denzel. They weren't in the newer edition I gave you, right?"

Denzel's cheeks began to burn, and he hesitantly shook his head. "N-no, but maybe they forgot about them. Why would it be in one and not the other?"

Tifa shrugged. "There probably wasn't any sightings of whatever they thought were werewolves for a long while."

"Right. It might have been a mistake on the author's part." Cloud sounded confident. Some worry panged in his head, however. The size, the odd fore paws, the aggression...The dream. He looked to the side while finishing his meal, mulling it all over. The gash itched, bringing his attention to it. It should be healed by now, but it still lingered. Why?

"Cloud wouldn't make for a very good werewolf, don't you think?" Tifa joked. Cloud snorted at the remark while taking a sip of water from his glass.

Marlene giggled, but Denzel kept his frown, the possibility in a child's head being something of a worry.

The rest of the meal went by quietly, and Cloud and Tifa helped the children with any homework they were having problems with. When Tifa went off to take a shower, Cloud was taken over to the corner of the room to play a card game with them before bed. He noticed Denzel's gaze fall on his injury ever so often, his smile almost forced at times. Cloud purposefully made a few bad moves to try and cheer him up, but he wasn't sure if it worked all that well.

When Cloud went to tuck the children in Denzel tried to give him his monster encyclopedia. He refused it; he wasn't in the mood to entertain the possibility, not when he just got back home. The worry was just slight and it seemed so silly, but he couldn't help the childish paranoia. Cloud read Marlene's book as he sat on the stool that usually sat in the corner near the door, now in between their beds. When he finished he wished them both good night, ruffling hair and giving Marlene's bear a little pat. With a final look back he turned off the light, then headed to the master bedroom.

"Did the kids have you read them a bedtime story?" Tifa asked as she lounged on the bed.

"Yeah...Denzel was still trying to get me to read his encyclopedia, too," Cloud replied, scratching the back of his head.

Tifa giggled. "I guess he's just worried about you, that's all. You know how kids are!"

He nodded before stretching to the point of popping his back. He looked about the warm and familiar room, more than ready to sleep in his own bed again. He thought to himself that he might avoid long distance deliveries for the time being. The money was good for when he was saving up for something special, but he had been doing well lately as it was despite the WRO making it easier for other delivery companies to pop up and compete with him. Still, the extra cushion from the delivery was welcome in case of an emergency.

Cloud gently pressed his hands and bottom against the soft mattress, a subtle smile on his face as he felt the give of the bed under him. God, how he missed his warm bed, laying next to Tifa. As much as he missed the bed, he missed Tifa more, and he snuggled up to her under the blankets as she scooted closer to him. He smiled against her neck. Tifa's lovely scent lulled him to sleep as he put a hand over her waist. She sighed next to him, her hand leaning against his as they both drifted off to sleep.

Rustling underbrush and panicked breaths, the sound sending a dread excitement through his chest. Cloud panted as he charged through the forest and into a clearing bathed in moonlight with gently swaying grass. The scents he'd never smelled before! Earth and dew and fear...

The smell of fear made his jaws gnash together in anticipation, his feral eyes locking onto his quarry in a small clearing. He charged on all fours with a snarl. He leapt forward, taking down his now screaming prey. Looking down and ready to rip its throat out, he paused.

Long brown hair, and radiant red eyes were staring at him. Pale glistening skin shimmered in the moonlight. He stared back, still panting heavily. Cloud swallowed hard, blinking at the sight in front of him.

"Teeee...faaa."

"Cloud...?"

"Tifa..."

"Cloud!"

"Tifa!"

"Cloud!"

Thump. Cloud landed on his side onto the wooden floor with a groan. Tifa stood over him, her arms crossed under her breasts. "You were having a nightmare again," she mumbled, lowering herself down and looking at him with gentle, concerned eyes. Cloud looked up at her as he breathed heavily, terrified at what he had done in the dream. "Do you wanna talk about it, Cloud?"

'Just a dream...It was just a dream...Shake it off, Strife!' He put a hand up to his face and softly shook his head. "Sorry, Teef..."

Tifa took his other hand, helping him get off the hard floor. "You were calling my name out in your sleep. And kicking your limbs around, too! Were you a little puppy, looking for me?" She was gently teasing him, swaying her hips gently. He shook his head, feigning a smile.

'I was more than a little puppy. But I WAS looking for you,' he thought, swallowing.

"Well, breakfast will be done in a little while. I'll see you downstairs!" Tifa began to leave their room.

"Okay," he called after her, listening to her footsteps become distant. Cloud bee-lined for the children's room as soon as Tifa had made it down the stairs, peeking in to make sure they weren't there. The coast clear, he went towards Denzel's side of the room, a thick old book on his nightstand. Gazing at the blue leather book with golden title, it was indeed the book mentioned last night. Cloud gingerly lifted the book, and pushed his finger on the "W" indent on the book. Flipping a few pages, he came across the Werewolf entry, a large ugly wolf-man greeting him.

'Let's see...Forced transformations on the Full Moon, allergies to silver, here...' Cloud nearly dropped the book. A slowly healing wound, desire for meat, and predatory nightmares preceded the first transformation, occurring on the next Full Moon. He stared at the line of text for what felt like an eternity, his focus broken by the sounds of little feet charging up the stairs. He quickly replaced the book, turning to leave the room. Denzel slammed into him, the boy dressed for school. He gave Cloud a quizzical look.

"Mornin', Cloud...Um, what're you doing in here?" He looked up at his hero, noting he was paler than usual.

"M-morning, Denzel. I was...looking to see if you two had gotten up yet." He blinked at the boy, shifting his weight on his legs.

Denzel wasn't convinced by Cloud's excuse, but he decided to change the subject. "Forgot my book. I like to read it during my free time at school!" He lifted up the Monster Encyclopedia and placed it under his arm, a smile on his face. For the second time this morning, Cloud faked a smile, secretly wanting to read all he could on the werewolf entry.

"Well, guess we should go eat, huh?"

The boy shook his head. "Marlene and I've already had breakfast. I better go, before I miss class! Bye, Cloud!" Denzel waved and turned, leaving the room quickly and leaping down stairs. He'd have to tell him to be more careful on the stairs. Cloud looked down at his bandages, touching along the injury; the ache was leaving, his healing ability overtaking the stubborn gash. It would probably be healed in another day's time or so. Sighing, he made his way downstairs for some breakfast. No point in fretting just yet, he'd research later. Maybe Tifa could make some sausage or bacon for him...

As he made his way downstairs Tifa looked up at him, smiling. "Any requests?"

Cloud blinked. "Guess something with meat in it would be nice." He said lowly as he fixed his coffee.

Tifa nodded, getting some sausage patties and eggs out to cook. Cloud sat himself at the bar counter, thinking. 'Werewolves? Sounds like crazy talk.' He scratched at the gauze covered gash on his left forearm, a twinge of worry in his chest. He wondered if he was actually going to become some shape shifting nightmare that ate people on Full Moons. 'Would I have a choice in the matter, if it were so?' He sipped his hot drink, oblivious to everything but his thoughts. In what felt like seconds Tifa had placed a platter in front of him, jolting him out of his worried thinking.

"There you go!" she chimed.

"Thanks, Teef." He went to stab at some of the sausage, the smell of it different, as if it smelled so much better than before. Cloud took a bite of it, and the flavor exploded in his mouth as if there were several different layers to the flavor he just discovered. Raising a brow at how delicious it was compared to yesterday, he went to some toast next. It tasted bland, the butter giving it some enjoyable flavor; Cloud was surprised as he usually enjoyed toast. Next were the eggs, tasting mostly how he was used to them tasting. Cloud frowned, wondering why his taste buds were acting so strange. His thoughts went back to the little bit he read in Denzel's book. 'It said meat cravings, right? It didn't say anything about flavors changing...'

"Hey, are you alright, Cloud?" Tifa held a worried expression on her face.

Cloud jumped, almost choking on his eggs. "Y-yeah, I'm fine." He looked around, thinking. "I better hurry up, I have a lot of deliveries today." He ignored the toast and hungrily finished what was left on his plate before returning upstairs to prepare for work, the road giving him time to think.

"You really think Cloud's gonna turn into a werewolf?" Marlene said incredulously as they walked towards the school. Their destination wasn't particularly far away from their home, the school a block away and to the south. The road was busy with pedestrian traffic and other children heading towards the school, from those younger than Marlene to those who were almost ready to graduate.

"Maybe," Denzel mumbled back, looking down at his encyclopedia. "Pretty sure he was looking at my book."

"Do you think you just worried him a little when you mentioned it last night?" She raised a brow.

"It's not like him to take something like that seriously, though." He looked back at the girl.

Marlene hummed while thinking. "We can keep an eye on him. Is there anything werewolves don't like?" She playfully kicked a pebble down the street.

"Um, silver can really hurt them, they don't like really strong smells...and they can hear dog whistles, too. They don't have a lot of weaknesses besides silver." They came up to the school gate, passing through. The front entrance was bustling with students of all ages, making their way towards their homerooms.

"Couldn't Cloud hear dog whistles already? He can barely stand strong smells as it is, too..." Marlene scratched her cheek, thinking back to last Halloween, when someone egged the bar with a rotten chocobo egg. The smell was terrible, but only Cloud claimed to be able to smell it for the next two weeks with a wrinkled nose.

"No, I tried the dog whistle before, when Tifa said he had better senses than most." The boy paused. "Hm, like, a strong smell can make a werewolf stop in its tracks, you know!"

"Oh. Well, we can try some things, then! See you after school!"

The children waved goodbye at each other, going towards different wings of the school and disappearing into the crowds.

Cloud drove down the road from Fort Condor, his body almost on auto-pilot as he brooded over the scant information he had; he was trying to convince himself it was just paranoia. Sure, Denzel's book had a werewolf entry, and maybe it looked a bit like the thing that attacked him, but it was just a ridiculous thought to him. 'Werewolf...Things are just in movies...But...' He looked down at his bandaged arm, a frown under his goggles. Looking back up, he glanced at the familiar sign that told him Junon was another ten miles away; he had a delivery for the upper city.

His stomach growled, and he slowed down, bringing Fenrir to a stop on the side of the road. Cloud fished about for a fruit bar in one of the compartments, the same flavor he had that morning after the wolf attack. Opening it up, he frowned; it smelled exactly the same, of fruit and baked wheat, but unlike that morning it wasn't appetizing at all. The delivery boy took a mouthful, shrugging. After a few moments of chewing, however, he spat the mush out, and went for his water canteen to rinse the super sweet food out of his mouth.

"Blech..."

'The hell is wrong with my taste buds today?' He loved those fruit bars. Cloud's frown deepening, he stared off in the direction of Junon. Maybe he could grab lunch there, instead, after making his delivery. He started up Fenrir again, quickly accelerating towards the city by the sea. The quick trip was uneventful, monsters keeping far from the road today to his relief. As Cloud drove closer, the scent of the sea came more apparent, momentarily releasing his mind of his worries. Taking a turn in the road, he took the new upper highway into Junon, traveling along the eventually trafficked road that lead into the city proper. Slowing down, he looked at his receipt for the address, then headed for it; his customer was on one of the back roads near the cliff face shield of metal. He took off his goggles and placed them in the small compartment in front of him on Fenrir.

Finally delivering the letter and receiving payment, he decided to park his bike on the main road to stroll about for a place to eat. This area of the city was known for restaurants that catered to all classes, from the working poor to the filthy rich; there was a variety of places and a variety of tastes. Cloud walked by a noodle bar, the smell not catching his interest in the faintest despite having stopped by several times in the past. Another place was serving a local favorite made of fresh fish and seaweed; while it smelled appetizing to him, it wasn't quite what he thought he might want. He moved on, looking about as his stomach growled louder.

A few minutes more of walking and he smelled something...Good. Cloud look this way and that, the smell growing as he got closer to the source; it lead him to a barbecue shop that he'd never been to before, the food shop a brick and mortar place on Junon's wall with a sign that said "Pete's BBQ". Approaching, he looked over the small menu for a few minutes. Brisket, chocobo legs, pulled pork...He suddenly felt a slap on his back that pushed him forward a step, and then familiar laughing; turning around wide eyed he came face to face with a smiling Barret.

"Hey, Spiky! Comin' out here for lunch?"

Cloud nodded, still a little surprised by his friend's appearance. Junon was a big place. "Yeah. Felt like something a bit different than fruit bars."

Barret nodded, understanding. "Man's gotta eat! This place is pretty good eats, was gonna order some after you got done."

"Lunch date it is." Cloud smirked, turning back to the order window and rattling off what he wanted; brisket and pulled pork. He'd had them before, and wanted to see if they tasted the same or not.

"Date? You outta yo mind as usual, Spiky..." Barret went to the window next, asking for his 'usual'. The two sat themselves at a nearby table on the wide sidewalk, watching as pedestrians and vehicles came and went, conversing about the family and when the next oil field would be tapped. Cloud absentmindedly scratched at the gauze covering his itchy, slowly healing wound; Barret frowned and pointed at his friend's arm.

"What happened?"

Cloud lifted his arm up. "Oh, just an injury from a delivery. Roads' still aren't safe at night." He left it at that.

Barret shook his head. "I know you think you tough shit, but watch your spiky ass out there! Last thing I need to hear is you gettin' eaten by somethin'..."

The warrior chuckled. "I'll be fine, Barret. Nothin's been able to keep me down yet." It was true, from Sephiroth to Rosso the Crimson, he had been a very tough cookie.

"Yeah, yet." Barret looked up, a waitress coming with their orders, and he waved. "Looks like our grub's ready!"

Cloud looked at his platter, two piles of different kinds of meat. He stabbed at some of the meat, mentally shrugging at his test; would he have the same reaction to this as he did the meat at breakfast? He took a bite, and just like the sausages he had that morning, the flesh he chewed was somehow so much better than he remembered, his stomach demanding more. Cloud frowned, thinking back to the little bit of information he acquired from Denzel's encyclopedia before the boy came to take it with him to school. Was he just a victim of suggestion, or was it really what he was fearing? 'It's not like I haven't fallen to suggestion before...' He thought, mentally cringing.

"What, you don't like the food, man?" Barret prodded between a mouthful of a barbecue sandwich, noticing the look on his friend's face and his hand limply holding his fork.

Cloud looked up at him and blinked, then back at his small meat piles. "...I like it, just...was worried for a moment that I forgot a package," he lied. Before he could make another face, he ate some more of his lunch, the meat unnaturally good.

Barret gave a small laugh. "Don't work too hard, now."

They finished their lunches in silence, Cloud focusing on his thoughts as he ate. Just having his taste buds react to food differently doesn't mean werewolf, necessarily. Not in his mind, at least. 'I'll stay home this weekend, read some books...I doubt it's true.' His mind went back to the couple of dreams he had as he ate the last bite of his lunch, displeased with his dream self trying to eat Tifa. Cloud sighed, and despite his constant denials in his head, he couldn't help but worry about the what-ifs. Rising up from his seat, he stretched his back before patting a still sitting Barret on the shoulder.

"Still got packages to deliver. I'll tell Marlene you said hello," the delivery boy said.

His big, burly friend nodded happily. "You keep my baby girl safe, Spiky. I've been busy, but I'll call up soon and try to make some time to be with her." He had a wistful look on his face, his separation from his daughter a constant pain in his heart.

Cloud gave Barret a nod and a smile. "You know I will. Take it easy, Barret." With that he turned around and disappeared into the crowd. Moving towards Fenrir, he let out a heavy sigh, wondering how he'd keep Marlene, and Tifa and Denzel for that matter, safe from him if he was going to become a monster in roughly a month. Sitting on his bike and placing his goggles back on, he resolved to find out the truth.