Before Nibelhiem

Before Nibelheim 2

"Be careful out there, Tifa!" Her father called.

"Okay." She responded closing the door. Cecile was waiting for her outside. "If we don't go too far, I can go." Tifa beamed.

"Yay!" Her friend smiled back. "Let's go!"

Cloud watched the two girls begin skipping towards the walkway on the side of Nibel mansion.

"Where are they going?" Fulshion asked.

"They're picking flowers." Dale rolled his eyes and stabbed another stick into the hole. "So boring."

Cloud thought about the field and the open space, he thought about the girls peacefully picking flowers and he stood to follow them.

"Ugh, seriously Cloud?" Dale asked exasperatedly. "You're picking flowers like the girls?"

Cloud ignored him and ran off, at least out there he wouldn't be teased. When he arrived they were staring at the mountains.

"It used to be all green." Tifa was saying in dismay. "It was so pretty."

"Who cares? It's ugly now." Cecile remarked.

"My mom says when we die, our spirits go to Mt. Nibel." Tifa explained.

Cecile stuck her tongue out. "Eww, I don't want to go to a gross mountain when I die."

"Me either, that's why it's sad." Tifa finished.

"Oh." Cecile realized. "Well, let's take the flowers we pick and put them on the mountain so it will be green again. I like flowers." Cecile smiled.

Tifa responded in kind. "Yeah, good idea."

They began wandering in the field while Cloud took a moment to observe the mountain himself. He noticed that the mountains next to it were also fading. Cecile's voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

"Do you see any yet?" She questioned.

"Not yet. But my dad found one and gave it to my mom yesterday so I know they're somewhere." Tifa replied.

"Keep looking." Cecile called.

Cloud hadn't gone far when he saw something white through the tall grass. He bent to pluck it, pleased to have found one. He was surprised by how pretty it was and the thought came to him that Tifa might want it. So he began to work his way over to her when something caught his eye. It was a black shadow swirling around Tifa. Looking up, Cloud saw the large bird that was creating it with raven wings and eyes trained on its prey.

Running as fast as he could, Cloud called her name in an attempt to warn her.

Her head perked and she looked over in his direction and slowly began standing. The bird dove and so did Cloud, crashing into her and knocking her flat.

The monster barely nicked the bottom of Cloud's leg flipping him onto his back where he lay stunned and breathless, Cecile's scream still ringing in his throbbing head.

"Cecile!" Tifa cried but the girl was almost into Nibelhiem and didn't turn around. "Get up, Cloud!" Tifa coughed, dragging the small boy to his feet. "Run, hurry!"

He stumbled in the direction of the town but tripped. Tifa yanked at his arm then screamed and dropped to the ground herself as again the bird swooped at her.

"Crawl." Cloud croaked and they began to sift through the tall grass on their hands and knees.

Loudly the bird crowed circling and diving again and again. Each time the pair flattened against the ground and as they approached the town the beastly bird, unwilling to let its prey go, began to land behind them in a desperate final attack. It proved fatal as two loud gunshots rang through the sky and a bullet struck it in the heart.

Tifa's father lowered the smoking barrel and ran over to his daughter with his wife and Cloud's mother not far behind. In the back Cecile's mother collapsed onto her knees and pulled her daughter into a hug.

The parents called their children's names as they ran over to embrace them.

Tifa broke down as her mother pulled her in and her father knelt behind and rubbed her head. "I was so scared!" She sobbed. Both of them also had tears pouring down their faces but were unable to speak.

"What happened?" The two other boys asked, looking around in confusion. Dale glared at Cloud.

Cloud's mother knelt in front of him, her hands on his shoulders. "Are you hurt? Tell me you're alright." She surveyed him up and down.

Still stunned all he could manage was, "My head hurts."

Noticing the blood there, his mother gasped and swept him into her arms. "Let's get you taken care of."

Again as he was taken away Tifa looked at him through her tears. This time his eyes shifted to the ground.

It wasn't until Cloud's mother was cleaning up his head that she broke down into uncontrollable sobbing and clung to his shoulders.

"I'm sorry, Mom." He apologized.

The next day while the others were playing in the old truck just outside of town Cloud came up looking intently at the ground and said, "Sorry I pushed you, Tifa." He then walked away before anyone could say anything, leaving them to stare after him.