The walk through Shiganshina was quiet.
Neither Mikasa nor Eren knew what to say. There was nothing left to say. After last night he had only greeted her the next morning at breakfast and left as soon as he could.
Now that they were walking next to each other, avoiding the nosy eyes from strangers and barely familiar faces they only occasionally looked at each other, as if to confirm that they were okay.
On every corner there were people talking about the upcoming war.
Mothers who thought about how to feed their children, men crying over the sons they would lose to the army.
Mikasa's face hardened the longer they walked through the city, listening to the chatter that never seemed to cease no matter the topic or the time.
The sun burned down on them and soon enough Eren felt sweat running down his neck, wetting his hair.
They passed fewer houses by the second until they were met with the first trees of the forest in front of them. The forest itself served as a source for meat and water. Chopping down the forest as a simple villager was prohibited but the only option left without gathering enough or no firewood at all was freezing to death in the frigid nights of winter.
And suddenly rules weren't that important anymore.
The deeper they went into the forest the darker it got even with the sun high in the sky. The crowns of the trees kept the light away; just enough to grant the earth life, not enough to warm the siblings.
"Dieser Wald ist unheimlich. [This forest is creepy.]", Eren murmured.
His sister sent him a sharp look.
"Stop that, Eren. You know you can't talk german here."
He rolled his eyes, tossing his hair around his shoulders.
"Was könnte hier bitte passieren, Mikasa? [What could possibly happen here, Mikasa?]"
"You could be heard.", she hissed and her eyes searched their surroundings for any spies or whatever. "The soldiers who came here can't be that far away."
"It's risky for us to be here anyway. What's the big deal?"
"Protecting your secret isn't something you have to do only for yourself, Eren.", she said with a stern tone she reserved for moments when he really fucked up. She glanced at him, an apologetic glimmer in her eyes.
She knew how much he hated not being able to openly talk in his mother-tongue.
He didn't answer the silent plea in her words and continued walking, watching out for roots and trunks crossing their way. Some bunnies jumped around to their left and to their right they discovered a brown, small dear, eating in peace and quiet.
Mikasa still looked tense and Eren sighed in defeat.
"Fine. I'm sorry. I will try not to in the future. I still don't know why you can understand it but not speak it."
"Someday I will tell you about my time before I came to you and your mother, Eren. Big promise.", she consoled him with the motherly voice she used way too often around her brother.
When they finally reached the perfect place to start their work the afternoon had begun and it got even colder. Noticing that his sister was shivering Eren took off the scarf around his neck and gave it to her.
She thanked him and tied it around her throat, hiding the alabaster skin underneath.
"We should get started. No need to stay any longer than necessary.", Eren said.
"Well, would you look at that!", a voice behind them bellowed, followed by strange laughter. Eren and Mikasa spun around. She gripped her axe tightly and narrowed her eyes at the men approaching them with a casual attitude.
They wore uniforms. Black with the green emblem of Eldia – a big creature, a Titan as many called them with long hair and sharp teeth. Eren would never understand how his ancestors had the great idea to make the emblem of a kingdom that strong an ugly, deformed human.
"What do you want from us?", Eren asked with a challenging voice, his chin high and his fists clamped down on his axe. If they so much as dared to hurt Mikasa...
"Oh ho, the little brat wants to fight. I am so scared!", one of the soldiers whimpered and laughed a hard laugh, throwing his head back. His comrades joined in his laughter.
Mikasa made a step forward, an action not unnoticed by some of the men who were eyeing his sister like some kind of delicious meat.
"Leave us alone!", Eren shouted with clenched teeth and his brows drawn together. Every fiber of his being screamed at him to fight, to end those fuckers who worked for the one man responsible for so much pain in his life.
Only his mother's warning words and Mikasa's safety – although she was more than capable of taking care of herself – held him back. A fight with five trained soldiers wouldn't end well for him.
"Gee, we only wanted to talk, mate." The soldier saying that grinned and made a little step too far. Mikasa's axe was in his face faster than they could blink.
"You heard my brother. Get the fuck out of our way.", she snarled, uncommonly angry for once instead of the calm and collected nature.
"What is that fucking ruckus about?"
The voice joining in on the conversation was hard as stone – unforgiving, unyielding. It was the kind of voice you had the feeling you should bend to.
Eren despised it the moment he heard it.
Stepping out of the shadows of the forest a man appeared behind the soldiers.
His hair was raven black, just as Mikasa's was and his cold, calculating gaze lay on the soldiers moving aside to make place for the newcomer.
Eren didn't dare to look away from the scene. The reaction of those cowards fascinated him.
Who was that guy? He must serve under King Grisha, another explanation was impossible. Which made him just another foe in this game.
"General Ackerman.", the soldiers yelped, saluting with straight backs and fear in their eyes.
"Taking a good shit with you all off your leashes is always the same old problem.", the man now snarled, a threating aura accompanying him. Then he turned his head.
Their eyes met.
Eren met his gaze with the same strength he had harbored since the day his life had changed forever.
The man's eyes were like steel – motionless. Without any emotion but a stony, tranquil calm sparkling in them.
"And who are those brats? Did they steal from us or tried to infiltrate the camp?"
Before Eren could say anything on that matter or anything at all, one of the soldiers squeaked: "N-No, sir. They didn't."
"Then why are you bothering them by their work?", the man asked, his voice just as dangerous as his gaze. "I thought I told you to go look for water. Not some villagers." The way he pronounced the last word made Eren's skin crawl. It sounded like an insult and was probably meant to be one.
With a pounding heart, the axe still in his hand the brunette took a confident step forward, directing his angry eyes at the man who – as Eren now had the chance to notice – was quite a bit smaller than him. Not any less ominous but still.
"When you're trespassing unknown lands, I would advise you to be more fucking polite with the residents." As for Eren's standards that was as polite as he could get with someone he hated so much just from looking at him.
The soldiers gasped for air as if he had done something terribly wrong.
A second later Eren found himself on the ground, his cheek throbbing and Mikasa by his side, axe ready to attack.
Eren might not know where she had come from, but he certainly knew that he would never ever try to get on her bad side, having seen her fight some idiots before. They didn't even last a second against her.
"Hurt my brother again and I will show you what villagers are capable of.", she snarled, her frigid gaze sending a shiver down his back.
"It's fine, Mikasa. Back down.", he whispered, resisting the urge to hold his cheek.
"Brats like you lack the respect I command. Get back to the filthy village you came from.", the man, General Ackerman, gave her as a simple answer. Seemingly uncaring he turned around and gestured the other soldiers to follow him.
Mikasa helped him on his feet, while he couldn't stop looking into the direction where that asshat had gone off to.
"Wer zur Hölle glaubt er, dass er ist? [Who does he fucking think he is?]", he ranted in german and got a clap on his head just as the last word had gotten out.
"I didn't protect you from those guys just so you can call them back with a language you shouldn't even be able to talk in."
"I don't need to be protected, Mikasa.", he rumbled and picked his axe up. "Come on, we need to get that firewood or we're gonna be here all night."