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Strife Throughout Advent Children a lone wolf can be seen roaming three specific landscapes. Although the wolf is only glimpsed at in passing during flashes of pain and not addressed outright, it clearly bears significance not only to Advent Children's story, but to Cloud's character and the conflict raging within.
The first sighting of the wolf occurs shortly after the film begins in the jagged wasteland surrounding Midgar. The rusted Buster Sword is firmly embedded in a rocky bluff, the site of Zack's fall, as a crude grave marker. The wolf appears again after Cloud stumbles upon a beaten and broken Tifa in the church before finally wandering into the Forgotten Capital, Aeris' final resting place. All of these locations are closely tied to events that weigh on Cloud's heart and have come to represent his greatest fear: the inability to protect those he loves when it matters most. Zack was shot to death while he sat by helplessly, Aeris was murdered by Sephiroth as he looked on in horror, and he was moments too late to help Tifa in her battle against a super-human fighting machine, ultimately finding her in a state not unlike that in which he found her on that dark day seven years ago.
The wolf is that guilt; it is the constant reminder of his failures in the past that continue to plague him in the present. Even if great steps have been taken to move on and start anew in the past two years, no amount of success can raise the dead, a fact that becomes painfully clear after Cloud contracts Geostigma--a death sentence in and of itself. As long as that wolf wanders the world in loneliness, Cloud will as well. He will never be able to find the forgiveness he so desperately needs. But from whom does he need to be forgiven? Does he seek it from those whose lives have been lost, or is it within his own troubled heart that he will find penance?
It is over his heart that the Cloudy Wolf rests, an ornament not coincidentally resembling something of a gothic doorknocker. It shields his heart, locking these regrets inside and hiding them away where they will grow and fester until they are too much to bear.
It should be noted, interestingly enough, that the Cloudy Wolf is adorned -- and focused on at length -- by two other characters: Tifa and Denzel. Tifa wears a ring with the wolf emblem on her right ring finger, while Denzel has a similar ring tied around his neck. Although it is never exclusively said, it is safe to assume these rings were a gift from Cloud, but why do they wear it if the wolf is a symbol of Cloud's own guilt?
Tifa and Denzel are both an integral part of what Cloud comes to consider his family. Whether the relationship is interpreted as romantic or not, Tifa is still the one with whom he lives, runs a business, and even raises children prior to contracting Geostigma. There is no one he trusts more. Denzel is an orphan also suffering from Geostigma who Cloud finds collapsed outside of the old church -- something that the surprisingly spiritual Cloud does not believe to be a mere coincidence -- and it is clear that the boy -- who views Cloud as nothing short of an idol -- has a special place in his heart. He loves them more than anything and would give the world to protect them.
And yet they still suffer.
Cloud believes himself to be the root of much of their troubles and takes full responsibility for their pain. Unfortunately, his logic is displaced; any hurt he causes is done by his leaving in an attempt to unburden them, not by his presence. Such a misunderstanding brings these feelings of regret, guilt, and loneliness full circle. Although they try to remain in contact with him after he leaves, neither Tifa nor Denzel addresses the issue during his absence, choosing instead to wonder and worry while they wait for the day he may return. With this in mind, Tifa and Denzel's possession of matching Cloudy Wolf rings could be to represent that sorrowful loop as well as the hiding of their own emotions when their home is clearly falling apart. This begs the question of why Marlene -- the fourth member of their fragmented family -- does not have a ring as well.
One solution is simply that Marlene, the youngest of the children, takes a different perspective when approaching the issue. The fact that she approaches the issue at all says something about her character. Although she misses Cloud, she is more concerned with how his absence hurts Tifa and Denzel, and the effect his leaving has on their family life as a whole. Upon visiting the church with Tifa, she stubbornly insist on staying until Cloud returns so they can go home together; she's not content to wait until Cloud decides to regain his head. Likewise, when she finally has a chance to address the issue with Cloud himself, she confronts him with anger and -- worse of all -- painfully obvious disappointment. She doesn't hide anything; she says exactly what she's thinking. This action is in direct contrast with what the Cloudy Wolf represents: the forceful concealment of emotions. The fact that she makes an effort to break the terrible circle of sadness and regret sets her apart from the rest of her family and, consequently, the Cloudy Wolf ring.
During the film's finale, Cloud finally realizes what is important to him and where he truly belongs. As he returns from the Lifestream and is bathed in white light, the wolf is seen one last time. It approaches Cloud, dips its head to his, and finally disappears. For the first time in what must feel like forever, Cloud smiles at Tifa, Denzel, Marlene, and the rest of AVALANCHE; he knows that he's not alone anymore. He has made peace with his past, and there is no longer a need to roam the present.
Having said that, if you pause the film at just the right moment, you will see that Barret wears a Cloudy Wolf ring, as well. Although this ring is only recognizable if the viewer watches for it and is not brought into focus like Tifa's or even Denzel's, because Advent Children is being toted as an "interactive" movie experience that demands viewer participation -- pausing and rewinding -- it is worth addressing, nonetheless. Barret too has left his family to wander the world in search of himself, though he does so more gracefully than Cloud; his search for self is unwavering. As his frequent phone calls home to his daughter exhibit, he never looses sight of his goal to figure out who he is and what he lives for--unlike Cloud who really has no idea what the hell he's doing. His possession of the Cloudy Wolf ring ties him into that need for penance, yes, but unlike Cloud and even Tifa and Denzel, Barret does not conceal his emotions; he feels there's something wrong, so he sets out to fix it. This could explain why his ring receives little screen time and can only be glimpsed if the viewer really looks for it.
