Get Out Alive | Levi

When Do Expeditions Ever Go Well?

 A/n: any equestrians out there that can guess the breed that Tempest is based off of? There are hints in this chapter and the photo. (Another hint: It is a cross between two breeds).  

Luckily for me, Tempest was indeed broke to ride. Unfortunately, I was unable to have much practice riding him by the time we departed. The stallion almost immediately made an attempt to race ahead of the rest of the corps, causing Levi to shout indignantly. The shouting only fueled the stallion's excitement so I put my reins into one hand and raised a finger to my lips in warning to Levi. Tempest soon broke out into a fast trot-like gait that was fast enough to keep up with the other horses' gallop. His legs moved in a way that had us in a smooth gait, allowing me to sit comfortably. The first few hours of the ride were uneventful as we trotted along lazily, eventually breaking into a canter as his legs got tired. By the time we stopped at the lake for a break, the other horses and most riders were exhausted and out of breath.

Meanwhile, I still had a hot-headed and hyper stallion on my hands. I was not tired, as I was able to sit comfortably for most of the ride, but my legs felt stiff from holding the same position throughout the ride. Unlike the others, I chose to ride in a light saddle I had created that was better for endurance and allowed my mount to move more freely. Levi was already on the ground with his horse tied to a nearby post by the time Tempest stood for long enough to allow me to dismount.

I brought the reins over Tempest's head and led him to the water's edge for a drink. As he drank greedily, I took small sips of water from my flask. As soon as I sat down beside my mount, his head shot up.

"He's not the brightest," Levi commented as Tempest paced nervously.

I shrugged and stroked the horse's neck reassuringly as the rest of the corps prepared to set off again. The loud thumping of footsteps came from our left, sending the troops into a panicked frenzy as they attempted to mount their horses. Some had broken their ropes and ran, leaving their riders behind. One of which was Levi's dark mare. With a groan I swung onto Tempest and held out my hand to the corporal who took it and climbed up behind me. It was fortunate that we were both light and small, as Tempest was fast and light but not built to carry large amounts of weight.

"Run," Erwin yelled from his horse, waving his arms at us as we hesitated for a moment.

Obediently, I released the pressure of the reins on Tempest's mouth and allowed him to break out into a gallop in the opposite direction of the swarm of titans that broke through the treeline. At any other time, I would have felt awkward with Levi pressed up against me and his arms around my waist. Currently, the fear for my life was too prominent to feel anything other than slight terror. A lone titan peeked its head around the side of a small hill, causing me to grapple onto it and leap off of Tempest after handing the reins to a startled Corporal.

"Sky!" Levi protested.

I rolled my eyes and drew my blades as the titan's gaping jaws approached me. With a quick redirection, I swung around to the titan's back and cut open the back of its neck neatly. Tempest circled nervously around the body as it fell, but waited for me to remount with no problem before taking off again. Eventually the stallion calmed down enough to break into a canter and turn back towards the location the scouts had been informed to meet at in case of emergency. The ride was silent other than the soft beat of Tempest's hooves against the rough earth. When we arrived at the slightly fortified base, the near darkness could not hide the fat that there were not many scouts. Erwin, Mike, Nanaba, and Hanji were among the few survivors. They numbered around twenty, which nearly filled the base entirely.

"Commander," I saluted, nodding at Erwin.

He gave a grim smile along with a salute in return before announcing that we would have to stay overnight. Instead of taking the room offered to me, I chose to sleep in the stables in the stall next to Tempest's. Unfortunately I could not relieve him of is saddle in case of emergency. If danger arose, the horse would surely be aware of it sooner than the rest of us and being close to him meant a quick escape. Shockingly, Levi soon entered the stall after me with a small supply of food and locked the stall door.

"Smart, but filthy," he noted distastefully.

"It seemingly has never been used, at least not in a long while. It's clean and either way, better dirty than dead," I responded, sitting down against the wall as Tempest stuck his head over the divider and watched us.

"Tch," was Levi's only response as he lowered down next to me and shoved a loaf of bread into my shaky hands.

I scooted close to the corporal and planted a soft kiss on his cheek before tearing into the bread ravenously. His gaze pierced through me like a blade but I refused to meet it even when I had finished the last of my bread. My attention was only drawn when a loud crunch was heard from his direction. My head shot up and I smiled, watching as Tempest gently nibbled an apple from Levi's hand.

"Aww," I teased.

"He has better manners than you," he snorted.

I huffed, only to let out a giggle when Tempest sneezed on the corporal's hand. He wiped his hand on the horse's nose distastefully before wrapping an arm around my shivering shoulders. Despite my many questions, I kept them to myself and pulled Levi down to lay beside me and used one of my saddlebags as a pillow for the both of us. Tempest settled down in the stall beside us as I curled up against Levi's side, draping my leg over his gently. Moments before sleep overwhelmed me, he draped his cloak over me as a warm blanket and his low voice cut through the silence.

"Goodnight brat."