"Hey Cloud, where ya' goin'?" Yuffie shouts, still trotting up the mountain trail. Cloud halts momentarily, glances over his shoulder, and continues as if he saw nothing. "Cloud?"
"I tried to tell you..." Barret shouts from behind.
"Before or after you tried to shoot me?" Yuffie shot back. "I've got just as many things to do as you do, go home and help Marleen with the cooking or something!" She huffs and breaks into a full run trying to catch up to Cloud, with barely a hobble to show what damage Barret actually did cause with his "warning" shot. Showing his trademark coldness, Cloud actually picks up his pace, but is still not quick enough to escape the annoying wrath of Yuffie.
Once she finally reaches Cloud, she gives him a hearty slap on the back, "Hey, whazup?"
Cloud can only hold his forehead and moan "Oh no..." He is very aware of the two materia she slipped into his sword during that "friendly" pat on the back. Her loss, he thinks.
The Chocobo farm is a quaint area that at first glance seems to consist nothing more than a stable and holding pen for the giant birds of labor known as Chocobos. A closer examination confirms that belief. The small single level ranch that acts as the center of this family owned operation also seems to be nothing more than a simple living area, and again, nothing more than meets the eye is hidden beyond what is publicly displayed. The only surprise a visitor may find is that the owner offers his own bed as an Inn, for a price of course. As in almost every farm in every know culture, routine is fixed and rigid here. The owner's son, Chocobo Billy, does most of the care and feeding of the Choco's while Billy's sister spends most of her time occupied in the cleaning and exercise of the birds as their father runs the finances and front "office" work from the ranch. Visitors are a near constant at the farm, so there was no surprise when a man wearing a utility belt and large backpack walked straight through the front door.
"Ah, Mr. Rocke! What do I owe the privilege of your visit today? Another delivery for one of the Choco's?" The owner of the Chocobo farm asks as the visitor comes emerges from the doorway. The man, dressed in faded camouflage (must be one of those newfangled fads the owner thinks), nods, showing a small bag of bird vitamins. The owner smiles and nods, adding "Who is it for?"
Rockhound glances at a fake notepad for sake of routine and replies "The one for... Cloud Strife."
"Ah, Goldeen. I was afraid the good-for-nothing bum forgot all about that poor bird. Wait here a sec while I get Billy to help you out. COME HERE LADDY!!!" A think Scottish accent smothers the last few words. "He'll be here in a bit, but I think someone is trying to call you." The owner says gesturing to Rocke's communicator.
"Oh I'll take care of that later." He replies turning the volume down. After a few moments of the traditional banter, Chocobo Billy stumbles around a corner, nearly running. "What took ya' so long, take good ol' Mr. Rocke here around to the stables, he's got a delivery for Goldeen, the poor lass."
Out in the stable, the normal routine takes effect. Billy points out which bird is the target for the delivery, and Rocke, being here so many time, takes care of the rest. When asked about his hurry back at the house, Billy explains that he and his sister have started on a project that they don't want their dad to know about just yet. Rocke asks if it's a birthday gift, gets a ludicrously vague answer, but decides not to dig further. Experience knows that if someone doesn't want to let a secret know, it's best to leave it at that. Knowing that there is something he'd rather be doing, Rocke lets the child be on his way. Once the kid's outside, Rocke turns the communicator back on to check on who's been calling, but the airwaves are busy with orders for a new rescue team sent to the swamp. Turning towards the Chocobo, Rocke sighs and returns to his work.
"Don't you ever call?" A disgruntled Cloud grumbles at Yuffie.
"Well I would have is the lines weren't busy all the time!" Yuffie strikes back. "And did you know you left you buddy way back there?" She turns and waves to Barret, who finally gave up his stealth attempt.
"Where did you come from anyway?" Cloud asks.
"Up there." She replies pointing up the mountain.
"Ya' know, that's not a bad idea at all..."
"What are you talking about? Anyway, what's so wrong with an old friend dropping... Cloud? ... HEY!!" She screams as Cloud, completely ignoring her of course, starts climbing the rocky walls. "I just came from that way, wouldn't you rather stay on this nice flat, grassy path? It's a much easier walk!"
"What the Hell IS he doing?" Barret grunts.
"He still has my materia!"
"Then why the Hell'd you give it to him?"
"Why wouldn't I?"
"Because he's completely lost whatever marbles he had."
"Well how was I supposed to know?"
"I tried to tell you."
"Then you didn't try hard enough." She sticks out her tongue, lets loose a mighty breath of hot air, and heads back up the rocky mountain.
"I can't believe I'm doing this." Barret grumbles as he also heads up the mountain, signs of age and lack of exercise showing all the way. The first signs of night begin to appear as the trio make their way up the mountainside. Darkness begins to creep in as the sun sinks lower into the horizon, seemingly to early even for this time of season. A cool wind blow refreshing life into the trees, knocking off a few brownish leaves from some of the weaker saplings. A trek down the path would have been refreshing and warm, but one up a mountain side may get a little bumpy and chilled. Nothing close to the Northern Glacier, of course, but not what the out-of-shape Barret had hoped for.
Outside the chocobo farms the man know as Mr. Rocke to the town folk and Rockhound to his organization radios in "Rockhound here, was someone trying to reach me?"
"What's your situation?" comes the scratchy response.
"I'm near the choco farms, preceding AVALANCHE as ordered. By the way, what's going on with the swamp? First I'm told of two people leaving it then I keep hearing messages about a rescue squad."
A few minutes of squelches from the speaker is followed by "Sorry, I didn't copy that. Do you have visual confirmation of AVALANCHE?"
"Negative, I preceded them to the choco farms. This is where I figure they're going, I even gave Cloud's choco some thing to help it move." Rockhound lets his communicator rest, preparing for another massive lag time.
No delay in the response this time "Good thinking Rockhound, but may not have been the best idea this time. How'd you get so far ahead of them anyhow?"
He chuckles "I know these hills better than anyone..." Though not many other poeple would refer to the rocky slopes as "hills."
"That doesn't matter. With the way things have been going on down here, I wouldn't *~SCREEEECH~* wouldn't be surprised if they went off the roads. *squeak* Stupid machines... Sorry, first we have those two escaping the swamp before anyone knew they were there, then we find a Zolom murdered, and all our tele-com equiptment is going straight to hell and back."
"Hmm, you don't think those two are related?"
"What the Zol *...static...* phone lines?"
Rockhound guessed the missing part of the message "No, between the two and the Zolom? I know it's unlikely, but do you think the snake could have been beat by them?"
"No, I don't think the snakes would make good pets, but thanks for the advice. Just fin..." the voice is slowly replaced by a local radio station's ad. A few shakes the the responder does nothing to help. With nothing else to lead on, Rockhound heads back to the hills to find Cloud, amused at the idea of watching someone who is already being watched. He also get a chuckle from the idea that maybe the three (and with Yuffie in the mix, it will be all three) trying to huff their way up the paths he know so well. But more than anything AVALANCHE can do, Rockhound's more concerned with the dead Zolom. 'That won't sit well with anyone' he says softly to himself. The Zoloms have started to become a kind of symbol over time, a symbol of what man can do to nature, how humans can corrupt the natural cycle of the planet with monstrous results. The presence of a corpse of such a creation, while heralded by some as an end of such corruption, could be twisted into something far worse. Strong even in the times of Shin-ra, the Zoloms of the swamps have become even more powerful sense the downfall of the company, and the thought of something stronger than even the might Zoloms may cause unrest among certain populations. He prays the adventurers are responsible. He also prays they got lucky in being attacked by a weak one, the last thing he needs is to be assigned to track the next walking disaster.