Little Marlene Wallace stood ankle-deep in snow, shivering despite the large coat, wool scarf and mittens she wore. Tiny snowflakes drifted from the dark grey clouds overhead. It felt like she had been waiting forever for Aunt Tifa and Uncle Cloud to come out. Did grown-ups take this long to do everything?
 She glanced nervously at the large red animal lying next to her. It trembled occasionally, its sharp teeth chattering together. She thought it was pretty weird looking, like a cross between a wolf and a tiger. What was it? Was it someone's pet?
 She put her hand on its head, and began to pat it.
 "Do you like that?" said Marlene.
 "That feels nice," it replied. Marlene gasped, startled, and she jumped back. The creature looked at her.
 "What's the matter?" it asked. "Did I scare you?"
 "Y-you can talk?" she stuttered. "
 What am I doing right now?" it said.
 "Are you Uncle Cloud and Aunt Tifa's pet?" she asked. The animal frowned.
 "I most certainly am not!" it said huffily. "I do have a name, you know."
 "Um....what's your name?" asked the five-year-old girl nervously.
 "Nanaki," it replied simply, "but people call me Red."
 "That's a nice name," she said politely, even though she thought it was strange. "I'm Marlene. So, Naki........what do you want to do?" she asked.
 "Nothing." he said curtly."
 "You sure are grumpy," Marlene replied indignantly. "You smell funny too."
 Red sighed. "I'm sorry. I'm grumpy because I'm absolutely freezing out here!" Marlene looked puzzled.
 "But you're all covered with fur! How could you be cold?" she questioned.
"When you patted me on the head, did you notice how short my fur was?"
 She nodded.
 "Well, I was born in a hot place. I'm not used to snow. Or winter, for that matter." Red sneezed. "Now my paws are numb, my tail is soaking wet, and my ears are frozen! That's why I smell funny!"
 He stopped talking and began to glower at the ground.
 Hurry up, Tifa! he thought.
 "Are you going to be OK?" she said quietly.
 "I'll be all right." He looked at her. "What do you want to do?"
 Marlene's eyes widened. "I wanna build a snow man!"
 "How do you do that?" Red asked.
 Marlene giggled.
 "Silly! It's easy!"
 
Meanwhile, from her hotel room, Tifa Strife watched Red pad off after the little girl. She smiled, knowing that Marlene would have someone else to play with while they were here. Barret had left her with them when he went to Junon on official business as the Mayor of North Corel, claiming that she would be bored out of her skull there.
 Three weeks previously, Red had contacted her and asked if she and Cloud would like to come with him to Wutai and look for any sign of another member of his species. She had said that they would be happy to do it. She could still remember the excitement and the tension in his voice over the phone.
 "Cloud, come here and watch this," she said. Cloud came over from packing, carrying two large backpacks. He dumped them next to the wall and walked over to the window. He wrapped his arms around her waist and looked out. Tifa laughed.
 "What's happening, honey?" he asked.
 "Look at Red. It's good to see him relax a bit. He's been so tense," she said.
 "Yeah. I'm glad we could help him out with this, but I'm still......" he swallowed, then went on, "I'm worried what will happen if we don't....."
 "Don't find her?" Tifa finished.
 Cloud nodded.
 "What'll happen to Red?"
 "I don't want to think about that," sighed Tifa. "Why do you suppose he's decided to do this?"
 "I have no idea."
 "Me neither." Tifa looked back out the window.
 "At least Marlene's got somebody to play with." Cloud let go of her and picked up his things, packing his old SOLDIER uniform into a large duffel bag. Then he strapped his Buster Sword onto his back, and handed Tifa a backpack.
 "Ready to go?" he asked.
 "Yeah," she replied, taking her bag. Then she left the hotel, her booted feet clomping on the icy steps to the main street. Tifa tried to contain her excitement about seeing her old friend again, but as noticed him pushing a snowball with his nose she involuntarily broke into a run. Red turned to look, a puzzled expression on his face.  "Red!" she called. She crouched down beside him and started scratching the fur behind his ears.
 "Hi Tifa!" he replied, moving his head to give her better access.
 "Auntie Tifa!" said Marlene impatiently, a scowl on her face. "What took you so long?"
 "We were just finishing packing up. Why don't you go back to the hotel and get your stuff?" replied Tifa. "We'll be leaving soon." Marlene smiled.
 "Yay! Come on, Naki, we've got to get our stuff!" Then she ran back up to the hotel, skipping up the steps. Tifa watched her go, a smile forming on her face.
 "What a cute kid," she sighed. "Were you having a good time playing with her?"
 "Yeah," said Red.
 "Are you......feeling all right? You've been pretty tense since you got here," said Tifa, the concern evident in her voice. Red smiled halfheartedly.
"Other than being freezing cold, I feel fine. I'm just kind of excited. Wouldn't you be?"
 "I would," she replied.
 "I'm ready to go whenever you are." he said, vigorously shaking his head and stretching his legs.
 Just then Cloud came down the steps and walked towards them.
 "Hello, Cloud," said Red, looking up at him.
 "Hey, old buddy!" replied Cloud, lowering himself to eye level with Red. "How have you been?"
 "All right, I suppose. How are you two?"
 Cloud took Tifa's hand in his. "We've been just fine."
 "That's great," replied Red, a smile creeping across his face. "I'm really happy for you two. It was a beautiful wedding, and I had a great time!" There was a barely detectable trace of envy in his voice......
 "Thanks," said Cloud. Marlene skipped down the steps from the house and ran towards them, the snow crunching beneath her feet.
 "Let's get going, Naki!" she called, a brightly coloured backpack bouncing against her legs as she came to a halt.
 "Okay, I'll be right there," he said, then he turned to Tifa. "What was the name of the town in the mountains where we're going to stop? Godo mentioned it to me, because that's where he was when he spotted her....."
 "Umm........I think it's called Kotts or something like that," she replied. "It's pretty backward. Not even a paved road up there."
 Red's heart sank. An unpaved road only meant one thing: hours spent on the floor of a rusting bus or truck, his insides being rearranged with every pothole and rut.  Things could be worse...... he thought glumly. It's better than walking in the snow.......
 "Speaking of that, here comes our transportation," announced Cloud, pointing up the road at a rapidly approaching bus, followed by a trail of dirty black smoke. It stopped in front of them, the doors clattering open with a hiss of compressed air. A sweaty, overweight man sat in the driver's seat, a cigarette dangling from his lips.
 "You folks headin' to Kotts?" he asked.
 "Yes," replied Tifa. "We've got three adults and one child."
 "Well, lessee...... that comes to 50 Gil.....hey, wait a second!" The driver pointed a pudgy finger squarely at Red. "You callin' that dog an adult?"
 Tifa put her hands on her hips, glaring at the driver. "Excuse me.....!"
"I'll handle this," said Red. "Since I am forty-nine years old, and since I am not a dog, then I am classified as an adult!"
 The driver's eyes bulged. "What the hell!?" Then he put a hand on his forehead and sighed. "All right, get on."
 "Thank you," Tifa said, then the four travellers walked down the aisle to a seat. The bus was dingy and dilapidated, and packed with men, women, and children of all ages. Tifa took a seat next to the window. The seat's upholstery was battered and torn, with bits of stuffing peeking out at the seams. The luggage racks were so bent that at first Cloud decided against putting their things on them, but in the end he squeezed them on.
 The bus began to move up the road, towards the snow-capped peaks that were visible in the distance through the falling snow. It would take them hours to get there, to the town nestled in the heart of the mountains. Red lay down in the aisle, his breath turning to fog in the unheated bus. Tifa looked down at him.
 "Trying to get some sleep?" she asked.
 "Yes," he said. "It will help to pass the time."
 "Well, have a good nap," replied Cloud. Red put his head on his paws, and slowly drifted off to sleep to the sound of babies crying and rocks hitting the bottom of the bus.
 
 He was so cold......
 The man trudged through the biting cold and howling wind of the blizzard, stumbling through the thick snowdrifts. He held a small, warm bundle in his hands, wrapped in several blankets. He hugged it tightly against his snowsuit, helping to keep it warm.
 Around him, trees shot up like dark pillars, their bases piled high with snow, their tops invisible in the dark. It had been this way for hours, crunching through the snowdrifts towards a town that might not even be there. But it was the tiny life in his arms that kept him going.
 He unwrapped a corner of the bundle to check on the tiny cub. She seemed to be comfortable inside her blanket cocoon, her fur helping to keep her warm, totally oblivious to the chaos outside. A small green crystal hung from a thin silver chain around her neck. A weak cry came out of her mouth. She was only a day old.
 The man had made a promise to the baby's parents that he would take her somewhere safe, where Kochin couldn't get her and use her in his bizarre experiments.
 "You must raise her as your own......" they had told him.
 Far ahead, he could see a scattering of lights.
 That must be the town, he thought. What was it called? Kotts?
 He raised his arm, waving towards them. "Please!! Help us!!!" he yelled, but his voice was carried off by the wind. He plodded forwards, feeling his strength drain from him.  "Not too much farther now, little one....." he said to the cub, trying to comfort her. "You'll be safe here."
 Step by step, the lights got closer and closer, until at last he was out of the forest. Using the last of his energy, he threw himself at the door of what looked like the town's inn.
 "Please!! Let us in!!" he shouted desperately, hammering the door. It swung open, and he stumbled inside.
 "Well there, stranger," said the lady at the reception desk. "What're you doin' out in that storm?"
 "Uuurgghh...." he groaned, his strength gone. He collapsed into a chair in front of the fire, holding the cub after unwrapping her. Her tail wagged happily at the sight of her 'grandfather,' and she touched his face with her paw. Her red fur glowed in the firelight, as did her bright green eyes.
 "Mister, are you all right?" said the receptionist. "Can I get you some soup?"
 "Yes please," he sighed, "and some warm milk for the little one, in a bottle. She's very hungry." The lady nodded, and bustled off into the back.
 The baby mewed, gazing up at the man with an impatient look in her eyes. He smiled, and gently scratched under her chin.
 "Yes, I know you're hungry. You're going to get some delicious milk soon." As if on cue, the lady returned with a bowl of steaming soup and a bottle of milk. She spotted the little creature and cooed affectionately.
 "Oooohhhh!! You're soooooo cute!" she said, petting the baby on the nose. The lady looked down at the man. "She's adorable! What's her name?"
 The man put the bottle in the cub's mouth. She began to suck on it, the milk trickling down her throat. Slowly, she shut her eyes and snuggled into his arms.
 "Her name," he replied, "is Sita."