The group seated themselves in the room right outside of the one Terra was in. "Who's Abby?" the prince asked.

Sania sighed, a sorrowful look in her eyes. "An old friend of mine. Abby was a fellow biologist like myself. She and her husband took their studies all over the continent, even once their baby was born. But about 17 years ago, the three of them just vanished one night. Their vehicle was found broken down on the road past the Alstor Slough."

So, everyone assumed they were all dead," Gladio concluded.

"But that girl in there - Terra, you call her? Why, she's the spitting image of Abby. That's her daughter, I'm certain of it."

"But how could she have survived all this time?" Prompto questioned.

"I have a theory on that," Sania replied. "She was found living in a pack of megaloclaws, correct? Well, what if the beast that found her was a female? Though unlikely, it's possible maternal instincts kicked in, leading to the girl being adopted into the pack."

"That sounds reasonable and would explain why she's like this now," Ignis added.

"Hopefully, we'll be able to teach her to be a person instead of an animal," Sania said. "I loath the idea of Abby's sweet little girl living with beasts in the wild. Personally, I'd love to take her under my wing. Her knowledge could advance my studies phenomenally."

And so, Sania and the boys spent days trying to earn Terra's trust while teaching her how to understand them. She quickly learned to recognize the name she was given since everyone seemed to call her by it. And after a few more days, she learned to differentiate Sania and the boys from all others.

She steadily began to trust them, allowing them to sit and eat with her, even letting them touch her. Sania took the extra time to give Terra a thorough bathing, which the girl hated. But despite trusting the five humans, Terra still didn't care for hunters at all. After a week and a half, Terra was finally beginning to speak. Her voice started out shaky and hoarse from lack of use, but she managed to say a few words.

"Okay, Terra, do you remember my name?" Sania asked her.

"San...ia?" she uttered.

The woman clapped her hands together. "Excellent!"

Ignis opened up the biology book Sania had brought in. It contained numerous illustrations of monsters as well as information. He and the professor were curious to see her responses to different creatures. The pictures of garula, arba, and thunderrocs all made her lick her lips hungrily, giving them the hint that they were all normal prey items for the megaloclaws. Sania made a note of it, the information invaluable.

Images of voretooths and coeurls made Terra growl, giving them the impression that they were rival predators competing for the same food. The final picture was of a pack of megaloclaws. Terra's expression dropped.

She stared at the beasts on the page, a frown on her lips and tears stinging her eyes. She reached out, placing her hand against the page, soft whimpers erupting from her throat. Her reaction made Ignis and Sania feel bad for her being taken away from the pack.

They soon left her alone to talk with the others. "I believe it would be best if we release Terra," Ignis said.

Sania sadly nodded in agreement. "The truth of the matter is that Terra knows nothing about being a person. It could take her years to even learn to speak, let alone join society. And even if she was able to eventually live normally among people, she has no family to stay with except me."

"That's true," Noctis agreed. "I don't think she even enjoys living like this."

"And I'm sure her parents would want her to be happy," Gladio added.

"Besides, she seems to already have a new family," Prompto pointed out.

With all five agreeing it was for the best, they managed to convince Dave and the hunters to release her. And soon enough, they were driving down the road away from Meldacio. Terra was seated between Noctis and Gladio while Sania drove her own car behind them. The girl looked all around at the passing scenery, letting the fresh air fill her lungs. The boys could tell just by her expression that she was overjoyed to be out of that room.

After a bit, they all arrived at the Alstor Slough, the place they'd first spotted Terra. The girl's eyes darted to each of the boys questioningly as they got out of the car. Noctis gestured with his hand to follow. She complied, climbing out behind him. Sania swiftly joined them, having parked her car close by. Before anyone could say a thing, loud snarls were suddenly heard closing in around them.

The megaloclaws were agitated by the recent abduction. They closed in on the humans responsible. But much to their surprise, Terra jumped in front of the five people, shielding them. The alpha of the pack immediately halted, recognizing her adopted daughter. She barked orders for her pack to back down. Terra smiled and approached her mother, carefully hugging her long snout.

Terra released her mother, smiling back at the humans who had been kind to her and tried to understand her. Though she resented them at first, she quickly learned that not all humans were bad. She walked over to them as they all smiled kindly.

"You're free now, Terra," Sania said. "You belong with your family."

Terra suddenly latched onto the woman, hugging her tightly. Sania chuckled and patted her head. Terra couldn't understand human speech very well, but even she knew that they were letting her go. After pulling back, the girl smiled lightly at them.

"Th..." She struggled to form the right words. "Thank... you..."

The prince nodded toward the awaiting beasts. "Go on, then. Don't keep them waiting."

The girl turned and hurried back to her mother, where her siblings then swarmed her. They smothered her with affection. She took one last look at the kind humans before climbing onto the back of one of her brothers. Together, the pack disappeared into the woods and out of sight.

Gladio looked to Sania. "I'm surprised you let such a research opportunity go like that."

"Well, I'd say I've learned enough about the megaloclaws to write a book on them." She gazed out at the wilderness with a faint smile. "And I'd say Abby would be delighted to know her daughter is alive and well, and exactly where she needs to be."

"Indeed," Ignis agreed. "She's certainly right at home in the wilderness."

"And Dave even said he'd make sure no one hunts the megaloclaws," Prompto added.

Noctis stared out at the Slough. "Terra will be fine. After all, she is a megaloclaw."

The End