Final Fantasy VII: Lifestream - Book 2: Aftermath

FORTY-TWO

We were a week out from Midgar—six days from Kalm—when we finally made it to Choco Bill's Chocobo Farm & Lodge. A rolling sea of tall green grass was spread out in all directions, different from the hills we'd left behind after passing through a long valley with wooded slopes on either side of us. We were in the eastern part of the continent now, a place so different from the badlands near Midgar, so vibrant and alive, that it might as well have been another world.

I'd been driving for the past few hours, with Aerith and Tifa sitting up front with me in the cab while Barret and Red rode in the back, just like always. We'd seen signs for the Chocobo Farm for miles, and while there were others in the region, they were smaller and scattered around the little towns that sat out this way amidst the plains. Bill's place was a lot bigger, and after we'd taken the off ramp from the highway and rode up to it, it wasn't hard for us to see why.

Surrounded by well-tended fields full of leafy green vegetables and clusters of trees and bushes filled with all different sorts of nuts, Choco Bill's Chocobo Farm & Lodge was a large but cozy collection of bright, clean buildings with white wooden walls and four big paddocks spread out across several acres. A two-story farmhouse with two wings for the guest rooms and a wraparound patio stood ahead of us as we parked in the large lot by the nearest paddock, and past it on our right was a silo and some sheds for tools and equipment.

As soon as we got out of the truck, Aerith and Tifa both grinned at each other before dashing right over to the fence to get a closer look at the chocobos. The girls chatted together and giggled while I followed a little behind and Barret stayed close to the truck. As for Red, he just sat on his haunches for a moment and watched. One of the chocobos went up to fence, looked at us, and warbled softly.

"Oh, aren't they just adorable, Cloud?" Aerith gushed.

"I suppose," I shrugged.

Barret grimaced. "Could do without the smell, though. I can pick it up from way the hell back here."

"You're not the only one," Red agreed.

Tifa sniffed as she cooed lovingly at the bird. "Oh, don't be so hard on them, guys. It's not really their fault."

Aerith giggled. "Yeah! They're too cute not to like."

"If you say so," Barret muttered.

"Well, I do!" she smirked, sticking her tongue out at him.

As hard as he tried, Barret couldn't resist a little smile of his own at her antics. Neither could I. "I'll take your word for it, Aerith. But in the meantime, we'd better head inside and talk with the owner. We need to find out if Sephiroth's been over this way."

I was pretty sure he had, what with the rumors we'd heard in all the little towns we'd passed through on our way here. Whispers talking of a man in a black cloak and the bodies he'd left behind him. A few here, a few there. Enough to keep us firmly on the trail. And even though we'd been driving and he'd been on foot, Sephiroth had still managed to stay ahead of us somehow. I wasn't surprised, but I didn't like how we were being led along. He wanted us to follow him.

Aerith leaned against the fence alongside Tifa. "You guys go ahead. We'll stay out here with the chocobos."

"Fair enough," I agreed.

I watched for a moment while she and Tifa reached out and gently stroked the nearest chocobo's soft yellow feathers. It stood at least eight feet tall on two long, scaly legs with three toes on each foot, and its big blue eyes watched the girls from above its large, curved orange beak. It was right on the other side of the fence amidst the grass, and behind it, more chocobos milled about in the paddock.