"RING! RI-" I rolled over in my bed quickly slamming my alarm.
"It's morning already." I stumbled out of bed grabbing my clothes and getting ready. 'That dream, it's clearer than most the others. But I still can't understand anything. All it's showing me is a society and place I've never been. My best guess could be some inner city in Wall Sina.' I threw on my uniform and left my dorm. 'And the Tyburs, they have to be a noble family. And a very wealthy one at that.'
I stepped outside the dorms and started my trek towards the back of the camp to train. 'It's so beautiful in the mornings, the calmness, and quietness of nature only for me to hear at this hour.' I started up at the sky watching the birds fly around and sun rise but my serenity was disturbed by the neigh of a horse. I glanced over at the stables to see a rather unhappy horse, in fact it was my horse. 'Oh yeah, I haven't given him a name yet. Ugh, I hate naming things. I can never find one that's good, no name sounds right.' I looked around and tried to find some sort of inspiration when I saw it, it was perfect.
An old small willow tree stopped my look for inspiration. It was far in the distance, and its slender branches held long fibrous dagger shaped leaves draping down like vines.
"That's a perfect name, You're going to be Willow." I said to the horse who looked rather confused, yet persisting in its annoyance it snorted in my face. I looked around and saw its water trough had been knocked over.
"You must've been thirsty, I'll go fill it up for you ok." I leaned over the stable door and grabbed the trough filling it up from a water pipe. Grabbing the filled trough I dragged it back to the horses stable leaving it and a happy horse inside.
"There, all filled up, don't knock it over again though." The horse just ignored me and started drinking happily. 'Horses are so adorable, I should get going though, or I won't have enough time to train.' But before I could turn to leave Willow gives me a good few licks to show his appreciation.
"Aw, thank you, I'll see you later Willow!" I wiped the horse saliva off my face and started walking. 'Ugh, I have to walk all the way to the back of the base to train, I really should've picked a better spot.' Then I remembered the tree from earlier. 'Hm, maybe I could go train at the willow tree, it's close and in a rather open area.' I walked the short pathway over and the before I knew it the sun was fully up, and the day had started.
"Alright newbies, it's time for you to learn the most important part about our expeditions, the long range scouting formation. To start, after clearing past the initial town outside of Calaneth District, we split into the formation, led by commander Erwin this formation helps us avoid Titans rather than fight them all head on." Commander Ness his lecture for what seemed like forever making us jot notes and learn every nitty gritty to each part of the formation.
"You rookies will be here," he pointed towards a specific part of the formation, "between the wagon defense squad, and the scout support squad." He looked back at the class. "Using this position all you will do is ride alongside spare horses and relay signals." I stared out the window ready for this lecture to end. He droned on for about another thirty minutes before dismissing us to go for the day.
"Ugh, I'm so glad that lecture is over." I exhaled a breath of relieve while walking alongside Reiner.
"Yeah, Captain Ness can drone on about the same topics forever." He seemed rather exhausted as well.
"Hey! Armin! Mikasa!" I turned back to see Eren running after us at full speed. 'He looks as annoying as usual.'
"Eren-"
"It feels like it's been forever!" Eren cut her off.
"Eren, have they mistreated you in any way?! Like studying and examining every bit of you or putting you through mental anguish?!" Mikasa grabbed Erens hands. 'Touch overdramatic Mikasa.'
"N-No, not at all."
"That pipsqueak went way too far. Someday I will make him pay." Mikasa said rather darkly. 'Yeah trying to harm Captain Levi isn't a great idea Mikasa, although it would be fun to watch.'
"A-Are you referring to Captain Levi?" Eren said.
"Hey Eren long time no see!" Connie said the rest of our group following him. 'This is getting boring.'
I instead stayed back leaning against a pillar uninterested in a reunion. However I seem to have caught Erens gaze either way but he looked at me differently than usual, instead of annoyance or disgust he seemed actually happy to see me here.
"Oh, You're all here! But. . . If you're here does that mean you joined the scouts?" Eren looked away back at the crowd. 'That's a dumb question.'
"Why else would we be here." Connie responded.
"Then just Jean, Annie, and Marco, joined the Military Police?" Eren asked. 'Annie, I wonder how she's doing.' My blank face turned more sour. 'I wish she was here.' "Wait, you too?" I looked up and saw Eren talking to Jean that'd come from a different squad of cadets.
"Marco's dead." Jean said breaking the news.
"Huh? What did you just say? Did you just say Marco's dead?" Eren looked in disbelieve.
"Apparently not everyone can die in a dramatic way, I don't even know how he went out. He died all alone, without anyone knowing or seeing."
"Marco did. . . ?" Eren said no further to accepting it.
"Hey! Gather round rookies! Your uniforms are here!" I immediately perked up walking along with the rest of them to grab a cloak and uniform. 'I can't wait to have an actual uniform. I'll really by a scout then.'
With a wide grin on my and most others faces we slung the cloaks over our shoulders a new sense of pride filling us. 'It's actually pretty nice. I expected it to be much more scratchy.' I turned my head to look at the wings of freedom on the back and really felt that all the effort I'd went through to get here, it was all worth it.
With the uniforms given out we all walked back to the mess hall cloaks worn proud, I had grabbed my food and went outside to sit and eat.
It was nice out, the clouds blocked out the sun, and the breeze was subtle and you could hear the sounds of swaying trees in the distance.
"I love days like this." Bertholdt said sitting next to me. "I can see why you sit out here."
"It's so calming isn't it. Hey Bertholdt, why are you becoming a scout?"
"Oh, I just joined because I couldn't let our dead comrades be for nothing. I originally never wanted to be a scout."
"I can understand that, I think most of them weren't ready for the Titans."
"The way they all got massacred, I couldn't just let them get away with that." Bertholdt said looking up above at the clouds. "How about you Y/N? Why are you becoming a scout?"
"I have little to no memory of what happened before I arrived in Shiganshina. So I decided getting back there would be the best way to discover what happened, so far my memories are coming back in bits and pieces."
"Damn, I couldn't imagine losing most of my life's memories. I hope you recall something when we reach Shiganshina in this upcoming expedition."
"Me too. Although I'm surprised you're not with Reiner right now to be honest. You two are always inseparable." I finished my tray and tossed it into the garbage. "Why are you out here?"
"I don't know, I honestly just wanted to talk to you myself, and see what kind of person you are." He seemed kind of uncomfortable, I don't think he really approaches people much.
"Well what kind of person am I, can't leave me hanging like that. I'm at least not as crazy as Eren right?" I joked.
"Yeah, you got that right." Bertholdt chuckled. "I miss the days as cadets, it was so much simpler then."
"I agree, it was more fun than I thought it'd be. Especially when they used to predict the weather with your sleep pattern." I said earning a laugh out of Bertholdt.
"Hey Bertholdt, what are you doing out here?" Reiner walked around the corner.
"Hey Reiner, I was just talking to Y/N." Bertholdt said nervously.
"Oh nice, mind if I join?"
"Not at all." I said. After Reiner sat down a calm silence came over us and we sat just enjoying the scenery. I stared off into the distance, just thinking about how surreal being here was, I had been dreaming of being a scout for so long. "It's kind of unbelievable, just being here. I never really thought about how nice it would be once I got here."
"Yeah, I'd never really thought about how nice it'd be to leave." Reiner said somewhat grimly.
"You mean the cadets?." I said.
"O-Oh yeah, the cadets. . ." Reiner held his head low looking somewhat mortified by his own confusion.
"You ok Reiner?" Bertholdt asked nervously.
"Y-Yeah just was thinking of something else." Reiner picked his head back up and his normal look back on his face. Then I felt a sudden drop on my forehead, I stuck my hand out and felt a few drops of water fall.
"It's raining." I slid my chair back under the soffit of the roof to the mess hall. Both Bertholdt and Reiner followed suit. The rain fell faster and faster until it was a full downpour.
"Damn it really is coming down." Reiner said. We sat the rest of the day out there until night fall. Talking back and forth Bertholdt and Reiner both left walking back inside the hall and joining the others. I decided I'd rather leave and go inside.
I headed to bed when I noticed a small letter slid under my door. I picked it up opening and reading the letter.
'Y/N,
I saw your letter, it seems you already found a new partner to kick your ass huh? Well you better not let Levi beat you for too long, or I'll come over there and kick your ass for him.
As for me, we haven't really done anything interesting over here, just the odd jobs that the officers give us before going to drink and gamble. I swear those guys never do a damn thing. The people here are just as boring as well. One has a mindset like Eren, they want to reform the Military Police. I respect his ideals but I find it hard to believe he'd ever make a change. I wonder what you'd say to him.
I've been looking at that necklace you gave me. It makes me miss you more, but something about it is charming. It gives me more of a reason to go deal with these idiots here. I hope you're not too bored with the new people at the scouts.
Anyways, I gotta go, I love you Y/N. I'll see you hopefully sometime soon.
I miss you,
Annie'
I sat down on my bed a smile on my face. 'She's still the same as ever. She's right though, I'll have to challenge Captain Levi again and beat him.'
Eventually I fell asleep the letter sitting at the nightstand beside me.