Wings [Levi Daughter]

Chapter Twenty

That's the signal for retreat! Iris thought.

"Rookies!"

Turning to their Commanding Officer, Iris, Jean and Armin stood in full attention.

"Get your horses and Reform the formation, we're heading back." The Officer said.

"Yes, Sir!" Armin said.

"Hey, what happened in there?" Iris questioned the Scout.

"Iris, don't!" Armin held the girl by her arm.

"Just do as your told, Reed!" The Scout glared at her. "Or I will report you."

Iris glared at the man, knowing who it was he will tell of her attitude towards her superiors. She didn't care, but she didn't want to have an earful from him either. And that was the last thing she needed from her father.

"Fine."

~*~

After retreating the forest, the Scouts gathered at an open field to wrap their dead. It was one of the horrible sight Iris had to endure. She couldn't help but think, if her father wrapped her mother when Maria died. But that wasn't the time to think about that. She came to a row of bodies at the side, they were four of them, placed side by side. As she came closer, her eyes widened at who it was that laid on the grass.

"You..." she said in a whisper.

Iris found herself staring at the sight of Petra Ral lying dead on the ground, her body was crushed, and she had a feeling on how the woman died.

That Female Titan did this...

Taking the cloth, she wrapped the woman's body and then continued with the others soldiers that were part of the Special Operations Squad. She was later joined by Armin and Jean, who helped her with wrapping the bodies.

"Iris..."

After finishing with the last of the squad, Iris stood up and turned to the one that spoke. Standing behind her was Levi, who looked as if he went through hell and back.

"Captain..." Iris said. "I'm sorry about your Squad..."

Levi placed his hand on her shoulder, and he limped his way to his squad and knelt down to their bodies, one by one, he slightly opened Petra's cloth and tore the Scout sigil that was on her jacket. But just as he were to leave, he felt something under the pocket. Pulling it out, he saw that it was a piece of paper, folded neatly, but was now stained with blood. Unfolding it, he saw that it was a letter, but it wasn't for him.

"Sir, we'll be taking their bodies now." Iris said.

Levi got up from the ground and went to his daughter. He looked down at her and then did the unexpected. He placed his hand on her cheek, his fingers caressing her smooth skin. For a moment, Iris didn't know what to do. It was sudden and it was something she never thought her father would do, especially in public.

"Get back to work, we'll return to the Wall Rose soon." Levi said as he left.

"Captain!"

Levi ignored her calls and left. Returning to his duty. Iris was left standing at her place, still appalled to what happened.

Why did he do that? She thought.

Looking down to the piece of paper, she hid it in her jacket's pocket and then turned to her duty. When she looked back to her comrades, she saw Armin and Jean staring at her in shock. They were not expecting to see that, especially from Levi. Luckily, though, the two did not question her further about it and just helped with getting the bodies to the carriage.

"I'm going to check on Leon." Iris said.

"Sure..." Armin said.

Once she was gone, Jean finally spoke.

"I'm sure that I'm not the only one who saw that." Jean said. "Don't tell me that..."

"I'm not sure..." Armin said.

Iris came to the carriage where the injured were placed. She easily spotted Leon, the only red-head in there and went to his side.

"You okay?" Iris asked.

"My shoulder's fucked up, so I'm not sure." Leon said.

"Don't worry, we're heading back in a few, just hang on, alright?" She said.

"Yeah." Leon said. "This sucks."

Iris smiled a small smile, "People have suffered more injury than you, so suck it up and stop overreacting."

"I'm not." Leon chuckled.

After they finished with listing the dead and those who were marked as Missing In Action, the Scouts were heading back to the Wall. They have been riding smoothly, no Titan spotting since they started the retreat, their guess was because almost all of the Titans in the area were in the forest because of the Female Titan. A fourteen-meter Titan came at their tail. The soldiers at the back fired the red signal. Iris was riding alongside the carriages of the dead, and she saw the Titan coming close to them.

"Dump the bodies!" Levi commanded.

Iris turned to her father with wide eyes, shocked by his orders.

"But sir!" A Scout said.

"Do you know how many corpses have been left behind? These are not special, dump them, consider it their last service to the cause!"

Iris found her father's eyes, but then looked away, she rode forward, not wanting to see what was to happen. As a child, she has witnessed death around her, at the street, in the houses, she didn't care then, but ever since she came to the Kirschs and when she joined the Cadets, she changed. The dead mattered to her, she would have wanted to burn their bodies in an honorable way than let them be thrown out to decay or be eaten.

Once the bodies have been disposed, the carriages out ran the Titans and they were able to run. They stopped after a few hours on horse retreat to rest. Iris stood with Armin and the others the whole time, remembering the sight of the bodies that were thrown.

"I can't believe this." Jean said.

Just as Armin spoke, Iris saw her father limping just across the field where she stood. She left the group and went to his side; she saw him went to the Scout that fired the signal and brought the fourteen-meter at their tail.

"We can't always bring the dead home, but we bring our memory of them... here, this was Ivan's." Levi gave the patch that he took from Petra's jacket and then left the man's side.

Iris suddenly stopped on her tracks. After hearing what her father said, she forgot about what she was about to say...

"Iris." Levi said.

"Captain..." Iris said. "I..."

Levi sighed.

"We did what we have to do." Levi said. "If we hold too much sentiment to these things, then we'll be at the same place as the dead."

"Would you have done the same for me?" Iris asked. "If I was one of the dead?"

Levi walked towards her and stopped at her side.

"You're a Scout now." Levi said, glaring down at her. "You need to understand that, and stop acting like a brat."

Iris' hands balled to a fist.

~*~

The Scouts were greeted by the crowd rallying and throwing trash and rocks at them. The mission was a failure, and with the lessened numbers of men seen, had everyone pissed. The whole time, Iris rode her horse with her hood over her head to not get the wet-shits they were throwing at them. The casualties occurred at the regiment at their latest Excursion beyond the Wall all were profound. So much, so even with little public favor they still were crushed. Within hours of their return, Erwin and the others were called to the Capital, and the Scouts's custody of Eren was revoked.