A Different Sky (A Levi Ackerman Story)

Beyond the Walls

Verena's POV

          We've been riding for a little while now, and I am starting to get antsy. I shift on the saddle, my bottom getting a little sore. Where are they? This feels...Odd. Usually we would have seen one by now. I glance around as we come upon a forest. The large trees on our left flank tower over us, large than the titans. I steal a glance at Erwin, who is looking as uncomfortable as I am. He looks at me, and shrugs. Then, suddenly, a voice calls out, "Titan sighted!"

          My head snaps forward. Up ahead, a titan is emerging from the forest, approaching our right flank.

          A soldier cries out in warning, "A fifteen meter class approaching the right flank's side from the forest!"

          Commander Shadis ahead of me calls out, "It's heading this way! It's close...Getting past it may be impossible." He hesitates for a moment, judging the distance between us and the titan. After an agonizing moment, he makes a decision. "It's unavoidable! Engage!" Shadis steers his horse toward the forest, leaving the path. "Vanguard soldiers, follow me! Middle guard, head straight for the supply carts!" he barks the orders over his shoulder. Erwin and I follow him with a few other soldiers trailing behind us. As we near the titan, Commander Shadis orders, "Don't let it out of the forest! Switch to 3-D maneuver gear!" Without hesitating, I pull out the hand grips from their holsters, hitting the trigger. Two black cables snake their way into the air, and the grapple hooks find their target: a nearby tree with gnarled branches. In an instant, I am lifted into the air, and I fly forward, passing the titan. My boots hit the trunk of the tree just as the titan turns to me. I see a plume of gas, and then Erwin appears behind the titan, blades drawn. Using the momentum he's built up, he goes for the kill. Erwin slices his blades through the nape of the titan's neck, blood splattering on his green cloak. Erwin lands on the tree beside me. The blood on his face begins to dissipate into steam. The titan staggers towards us, steam rising from the nape of its neck.

          "Damn! Too shallow!" Erwin hisses.

          "I got it!" I say, jumping from the tree and pulling the triggers on my grips. The black cables shoot forward again, and the grapple hooks latch onto a tree behind the titan. I swing around the hulking beast, narrowly missing its grabbing hands. Within seconds, my blades cut through the titan's already mangled skin, slicing out a deep chunk of flesh from the nape of the neck. Landing on the ground, I whistle for Shasta, who returns without fail. Erwin lands beside me as the titan hits the ground.

          "Nice job," he says, patting me on the back.

          "Yeah, well, I try." I grin up at him, and he rolls his eyes.

Levi's POV

          Up ahead there's some kind of commotion. I narrow my eyes as we ride along the dirt path.

          "I wonder what's going on," Farlan says to me.

          I nod, not saying a word, still thinking about all the possibilities.

          Suddenly, we see a flare fly high into the sky, red smoke billowing up. Then, we hear a faint voice call out, "Lead it into the forest!" Just as we come upon the forest on our right flank, I catch sight of a large humanoid creature running out from between the trees. My heart skips a beat, and I can feel my muscles tense. That's...A Titan?

          "Whoa...It's a lot bigger than I imagined," Farlan mumbles beside me.

          "Yeah, a lot bigger," Isabel agrees. She swallows hard, and then grins again. "But we can take it!"