*3 days into the expedition*
I still had absolutely no idea what our goal was, but we were moving at a snail's pace. Not only that, but I had barely been able to speak to Eld since the night before we left.
We were currently feeding our horses near a thin patch of trees, and I was grumbling to myself bitterly. We had only come across three titans since we had ventured into the confines on Wall Maria, and Levi had been the or to deal with them all. Nothing too exciting; none of them over ten metres, but I was still bored out of my mind.
"Penny for your thoughts?" My glare shifted over to Gunther, who had wandered over to check on me.
"This is stupid...What are we even doing, anyway? I could be missing watching my friends graduate..." I complained, and his expression softened even more.
"Why not go talk to the Captain? I'm sure if you asked him nicely he'd spill the beans." The man chuckled, but I hunched over, scrunching up my nose.
"I don't wanna..." I huffed indignantly, toying with Boy's flaxen mane. Gunther uttered a loud laugh, patting; or rather smacking, me on the back, winding me.
"Man, you're such a child sometimes! How can so much angst fit into someone so tiny?" Recovering from the chummy blow, I rolled my eyes and kicked at the soil beneath our feet.
"Beats me...Ask Levi."
Another snicker came out of the tall, tanned scout, and he nudged me in the direction of the pissy ravonet.
"Just do it, kid! You never know...you two might just get along! You wouldn't be here if he didn't at least respect you!"
If that's the case, he could at least show it a little more...
Heaving a defeated sigh, I trudged over to where the stoic man was resting against a tree, legs stretched out in front of him and crossed over each other.
"Yo, Ackerman." I called out, and he lifted a lid to glare absolute daggers at me.
Yeah, that's right, you pint sized ass nozzle!
"What is it now, brat?" He muttered in question, bringing his knees up towards his chest and leaning upon them. "If you're here to complain about staying in formation again, I'll kick you right in the tit." Sweatdropping, I matched his glare and stood my ground, folding my arms across my chest defensively.
"First of all, that's unsettling. Second of all..." I tightened my jaw, trying to force myself into sounding as pleasant as possible. "...could you please tell me what our objective is? I don't like being in the dark..."
My expectations were surpassed when Levi's face seemed to soften a little bit, and he patted the ground next to him, motioning for me to take a seat. Hesitant, I blinked like a moron before slowly doing what he asked, keeping a decent distance between us.
"Apparently, there is a very important research journal located north-west of Shiganshina, in Sankelmark. Both Hange and Erwin believe that it would be beneficial, so it's our job to retrieve it." He explained, leaning back against the slender tree and gazing over at his squad.
"A journal..? I'm missing everything for a damn journal..?!" I was even more pissed than I had been to begin with.
"If it could be beneficial to humanity, then it's not just a damn journal. If Erwin has faith in it, then it needs to be found." Levi tried to show me some sense, but it wasn't enough for me.
"Oh, I see what's going on here. Erwin is Zachary's dog...you're Erwin's dog...and I'm supposed to be your dog..." I muttered, blowing a few stray (H/C) hairs out of my face.
"I wouldn't be here if I didn't want to be, brat. Don't go making things sound so dramatic. Things would be a lot more pleasant if you would just shut up and learn your place..." Instead of sounding sharp, his last few words seemed quieter. Melancholy, even. Frustrated, yet not sure what to think, I just huffed and jabbed him in the side with two pointed fingers.
"You've got a twig in your hair, shorty..." I pointed out in a grumble, watching him reach up and pull it out in a hurry.
"I'm taller than you are, so at least I have that going for me. Now, hurry up and mount your horse. The district we're heading to isn't far off, and it's crawling with lower height class titans. We'll need you to pull your weight." Levi pushed himself to a stand, tossing the twig away and tapping my boot with his own. It was a surprisingly friendly gesture in my eyes, as it was gentle and coaxing, rather than a forceful gesture.
Maybe this little fuckhead isn't so bad..?
Off we went, and, as usual, I spent all of five minutes in formation before breaking away and getting distracted by my surroundings. I ignored everyone's attempts to order me back into the group, and I drifted off into my own little dreamland.
They'd be graduating tonight...I hope Marco gets the ranking he needs to become an interior policeman...Mikasa or Reiner will probably be number one, from what I've seen...but that still leaves eight more places...
Suddenly, my senses all switched on at once, sharp and directed to the slight blur within a patch of trees to my right. The way my skin shivered let me know that it was, indeed, a titan. It had always been like that when I had lived out in the open, but this time, I had the means to defend myself.
"Oi! where are you going?!" I heard Oluo yell after me when I veered off, kicking Boy into a steady gallop. Never before had I had such an urge take over me. The titan dummies were one thing, but the thought of taking down one made of flesh and blood made my pulse rush. The closer I got, the more of it I could see, hiding between the cracks in the trees. It was pretty big; fourteen foot, at most, but it was moving in a way that seemed almost jelloid.
Abnormal...
"(Y/N)! Get back here!" I heard Eld yell this time, but I was determined. I was almost close enough to use my odm gear, even though I knew I'd get chewed out for it afterward. "Are you seriously trying to run off?!" It was obvious that they still had no idea there was a titan so close. Everyone was shouting at me, and bringing attention to us, apart from Levi. He was following, sure, but at a safe distance. At least he knew what was up.
I could tell what was coming, but I wasn't prepared for it when that jelly-limbed titan burst through the trees, barely giving me enough time to shoot out an anchor and zip out of the way. It was moving so awkwardly that I couldn't find an opening to get a clear shot at the nape, and I was seriously thankful that the squad was so experienced, as they all managed to get out of the way too.
"Eld, maneuver seven!" Gunther shouted out to the second in command, but I wasn't having any of that. I found it, and I had already laid claim to it.
"IT'S MINE!" I barked loudly, which caused them all to snap their heads in my direction.
"ARE YOU KIDDING?! THIS FUCKER'S TOO WILD FOR YOUR FIRST KILL, AND YOU KNOW IT!" Eld snarked right back, which made me even more determined.
I know they could take it down easily...but...I wanna do it..!
This titan was fast. Despite it appearing like it didn't have a single bone in any of its limbs, it made a mad dash towards me with snapping jaws. I was anchored almost horizontally to a tree trunk, and I had no time to think. Trusting instincts, and nothing else, I made a poorly aimed shot with my odm gear, managing to hook into the flesh in the back of its balding head.
"DON'T YOU DARE!" Eld again, trying to make a move before I had a chance, but I was faster than he could have ever hoped to be. I jumped into the air, reeling myself in towards the monstrous beast that wanted me on the menu. It was so much different than i had thought it would be. Of course, I had killed titans before, but they had been trapped, and rendered useless. This one was very much mobile, and absolutely ravenous. I had expected fear and nerves, but I didn't feel any of that. I just felt completely neutral about the whole situation.
The movements this jelly-legged titan made were too obvious. I wasn't sure if the others thought that or not, but I definitely did. Swinging all my weight away from my target, I managed to swing myself just out of reach, narrowly avoiding being slapped into oblivion by enormous, grabby hands.
Do this in a single shot..!
Blades at the ready, I had my sights set on the smooth skin of the nape, feeling a little motion sick from swinging around like some discombobulated bird. Ignoring the growing discomfort in my stomach, I shot down, straight against my target. With both blades, I unintentionally roared out a pissy battle cry, flinching as thick, steaming red sprayed out over my entire front.
Great. I'm filthy. Levi's gonna be pissed.
I rode the deceased titan on the fall to the earth, faltering only in the moment where it counted and falling flat on my ass on impact. The others were surrounding the lifeless abnormal immediately, gawking up at me in a mix of frustration and awe.
"Damn, girl...You actually pulled it off..." Petra blinked owlishly as he poked at the steaming skin.
I yelped loudly as the entire body began to almost boil, and I tumbled off the titan, straight onto the ground with a loud oof.
"Hot! Hot hot hot!" I rolled around like an absolute idiot, trying to get as much blood off of myself as possible. It was like scalding water, and it hurt. Eld and Oluo raced over to make sure I was okay, and it began to evaporate.
"You're an absolute idiot, you know that..?" Eld hissed, flicking me square between the eyes. "But...good job...That's your first solo kill, kiddo..." Oluo stood up, offering me his hand and hoisting me to my feet.
"I really thought you were gonna die. So, nice job not doing that, I guess." He complimented in his usual backhanded way, and I shook out my arms, blinking away the dizziness that still rattled me.
"Th..thanks..." I mumbled, focusing on the ravonet who was striding towards me from behind them. He looked me over once; eye twitching in reaction to the fresh stains on my clothing, and nodded to me.
"That's what I like to see. Not a bad job at all. Could have been a little neater...but I suppose I'll let it slide, just this once..."
Wow...a compliment from Levi...
Scratching the back of my neck, I shrugged my shoulders, ignoring the very faint ache from my age old injury.
"Thanks, I guess..." I puffed out my cheeks, then nearly toppled over when my horse walked up to my side, nudging me with his nose. "Aw, I'm okay, Boy! I showed him, didn't I!"
We took a short break to water our horses again, and to check the map again, figuring out a slightly quicker route thanks to my minor detour, much to my delight. That was when Eld approached me by himself.
"That was reckless, (Y/N)..." He mumbled quietly, making it seem like he was checking over Boy. "...I don't want you to get too confident..."
Protective boy...
"I just did what I'm supposed to do. See titan, kill titan. I'm not in any hurry to die anymore, Eldy..." I made sure to catch his eye when I said that, trying to silently let him know that he was a part of my newfound will to live.
"Just...lean on me a little, okay..? All of us...That's the point of being in a squad..." He really was worried, and it seemed that me not having a need for his assistance bit at his pride.
Being a little shit, as usual, I let myself lean into him, using all of my weight and nearly knocking him to the ground.
"I mean, sure, I guess? Like this?" I gave him a cheeky grin, and his face flushed, making him look rather adorable.
"Qu..quit it! You know what I meant..." He complained, nudging me back, but not completely off of him. "When we get there...just stick by me...or Levi...or any of us, really...but...I'd really prefer it be me..."
Just as I was about to respond, a loud, obnoxious cough sounded off behind us, and we both jumped around and apart, now facing a grumpy looking Levi.
"If you're done with your horses and personal business...then get a move on." His usual dark aura had returned, and part of me thought that it seemed even harsher than before.
"But I'm all itchy...Either that titan had fleas, or I'm allergic to the blood..." I squirmed about, not lying about having a full-body irritation, but exaggerating it to make him uneasy. It worked, as he instantly took a large step backward.
"Then stay the hell away from me." He growled, eyeing me off as he turned and began to stalk away.
"But Leviiiii!" I started off after him, pretending to scratch and rub at my torso. "It's all itchy! Won't you be a dear and check if I have fleas?!" I laughed loudly as he started off in a flat out sprint towards his horse, with me only a length or two behind.
"Get away from me, you filthy brat! That's an order..!" His voice faltered slightly, and it was music to my ears as he vaulted into the saddle and set off in a brisk canter.
Well...if I have to be part of this scout bullshit...I'm glad I'm with this squad!
...I wonder how Marco's doing..?
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