Wild Flower: Attack on Titan

Chapter 22

Chapter 22 Essence

Earlier

When Levi was finally out of my sight, I picked up the blade on the ground. I looked up to saw Rowtag smiling down at me with the sun setting behind him.
His shadow stretched down the slope and covered my light. Rowtag detached his battle axe and held out my crown of beads.

"You know along time ago, they say that this earth was actually peaceful. Sure tribes faught but this is just ridiculous." He threw the strand to my feet.

"This would have belonged to the future queen of the forest but you gave it all up for what? Just to fool around with the enemy!" he snarled. I picked it up and observed it's jade beads.

"Rowtag, I warned you. From the very beginning, I gave you hints and clues that I wasn't interested in you. Surely you noticed!" Rowtag slid down the slope, I on the other hand ran to the trees.

"Of course I noticed I'm not that thick!" He ran towards me in full speed, I ran away from and tried to grab on to a branch to get out of his sight. When I reached a dead end, I tried to climb up the rocky wall but it was no use.

"Why then!? Why did you still pursue me when obviously I wasn't looking at you!?" My heart pounded at he took a step closer.

"You have no idea how much you mean to me. You gave me the power to fight. When my father died and I was crowned, no one even spoke to me. Everyone was too scared." He answered coldly and loosened his grip on the axe.

"Only you talked to me. And when I remembered your true form, it encouraged me even more to grow stronger."

"What are you talking about?"

"I saw your wings! I saw them and I'm gonna prove to the tribe that the blessed angel is by my side. With you there, everyone will speak to me and ask me to grant them wishes!" he chuckled with a twisted smile on his face.

"Well I don't recall granting wishes."
Rowtag looked at me with a bewildered look on his face. Then he had a moment of enlightenment and smiled again.

"Oh I see now! Kano hid this urban legend from you. I've noticed that no one here ever talks about the angel."

"What is this, Rowtag!?"

"Well," he chuckled as he took another step closer. "Many generations ago, there was a tribe who came to this land every spring and left every winter. One fall the cheif's daughter went missing and when they returned after winter the young girl came back to them."

Rowtag surprised me when he dived but I quickly moved out of the way. I slowly tried to inch closer to the only exit.

"But this time the girl changed when her tribe was in danger. She saved the tribe was but she was stuck in her monster form. Does it sound familiar to you?" I rubbed my head trying to ease the throbbing pain of trying to remember my past. I was a normal girl born into a family like any other human. This story was just a distraction.

"I don't care about this stupid tale! It means nothing!" I felt so nervous and shakey that I was certain that I was going to faint.

"It's all in the back of you head, isn't it?" he laughed.

Quickly I reached down and threw a rock at him for distraction. When he flinched to block, I ran out of there as quickly as possible. When I felt that I was far enough, I climbed up a tree to hide from him.

"Cheoki?! Cheoki!" He screamed from the ground.

I tried to climb up as quietly as possible but when my foot had slipped, I knew that he found me. Rowtag looked up and saw the outline of my dress. He jumped on the tree and pulled himself up.

I tried to reach for the branch above my head but I couldn't grab it. I jumped up to reach but instead I slipped. I looked up at his face, I was shocked to see the worried look on his face.

"Cheoki, no!!" he screamed as he reached down to catch my hand, but he was a second too late.

I closed my eyes and felt the tears rip off my skin and into the air.

I'm so sorry Levi, I couldn't keep my promise. Please don't be mad at me, I did the best I could.