The Wolf and Aeris (spoilers)

So, in the beginning of the movie, when we see Cloud's old Buster Sword overlookiong the city of Midgar, we see a grey wolf next to it.

Later, when cloud passes out next to Tifa in the cathedral, he is brought back to the field of flowers where he and Aerith usually speak, but instead of Aeris, the grey wolf is there.


then later, after the battle with sephiroth and he is shot, then blown to smitherenes, Aeris and Zack talk amongst themselves to him in the same white-light and then the grey wolf comes to wake him back up..

It is my belief that the grey wolf is Aerith's new form granted to her by the lifestream. considering that in FFVII we learn that when people die, the lifestream recycles them(in a sense) to where they join it and become trees and other facets of life on Gaia.

are Aeris and Zack lovers or something?

Aerith and Zack were a couple before his death.

Nomura has stated officially that the wolf is a representation of Cloud's guilt. The wolf appears in places where he's failed someone, where his guilt is strongest.

i'm not sure why it is in the end then, the first two i can understand, not the last.

I dont know its particular purpose there either... maybe showing that his guilt is also a reason for him to fight on, and not just a millstone around his neck. But I'm not sure. All I know is what lovely Nomura-san said.

Maybe it appeared to say that if he died he'd be failing his friends?

Idunno. I always saw it as the wolf showing up expressedly to vanish to show his lone wolf guilt dispersing.

I don't understand how the wolf is in the dreamy/spirit world twice and in the actual world in the beginning either. I dunno, I think this movie was too much action and not nearly enough story.