Thank you for taking an interest in this oddball fanfiction of mine.~ I will warn you now that it's a completely crazy idea that just happened to enter my head one morning. If the description failed to make this clear, this is set in a steampunk-themed AU in which the SNK characters live in a society that segregates between Vulpes (creatures that are a bit like fox-human hybrids) and Canes (dog-human hybrids). There are no Titans, I'm afraid, but I do hope that you enjoy this story and any reviews will be very much appreciated! I'd love to know what you think of it and whether I should continue it or not. Anyway, here are your warnings for this fic:
Rated M for later chapters. I won't give any spoilers here but there will be some dark stuff happening. You have been warned.
Eventual Ereri, and possibly other pairings as well, though I won't give too much away at this stage.~
Partially inspired by the song "Young Volcanoes" by Fall Out Boy.
And of course, the inevitable disclaimer: I don't own Shingeki no Kyojin/Attack on Titan or any of its characters. I'm just one of the many obsessive idiots on the interwebs who enjoy writing fantastical stories about Isayama-san's creation.
And without further ado, let us begin!
"Tonight, the foxes hunt the hounds
And it's all over now
Before we have begun
We've already won."
-"Young Volcanoes", Fall Out Boy
Chapter One: Convergence
Steam gushed through the exhaust turrets of the throbbing train as it grinded along the tracks, creating a pale cloud that appeared to spread out and hover over the roofless station. Detritus swirled in miniature tornadoes that swept through the area, carrying the soiled rubbish over the heads of the impatient Vulpes that crowded together on the platform.
"Gee, that must be a new record," Eren Jaeger grunted dismally as he watched the train shudder to a gradual halt, the mechanism creaking painfully. "What's their excuse this time? Don't tell me the damn thing broke down halfway to Wall Maria again." He felt his ears twitch in agitation. No wonder we're always late to school…
"W-well, it's a common occurrence," Armin piped up. The short blond Vulpis was at Eren's right-hand side, pressed so tightly into the crowd that he could barely shift an inch. "After all, the government doesn't exactly see the maintenance of trains in Vulpis districts as their highest priority…"
"Ugh. Typical Canes," Eren spat. "They only ever care about themselves. They don't have the faintest idea what it's like in our world…"
Mikasa Ackerman said nothing, her face set in its usual deadpan expression. She hardly needed words to show she agreed with Eren's statement; her profoundly deep grey eyes said everything. If anyone knew just how ruthless the ruling class of Dreimauer could be, it was her.
The three friends squeezed onto the cramped train carriage, which just about managed to accommodate their bushy tails in addition to their bodies. Eren tightly gripped an iron hook set into the ceiling of the carriage beside his friends, who had managed to bag the last two seats.
Armin was staring at a large, brass-rimmed pocket watch that he had produced from the breast pocket of his beige jacket. "At this rate, we'll be almost half an hour late," he muttered sadly. "They'll punish us for sure."
"Whatever," Eren responded dismissively. "It's not like they've never caned us before…" He frowned, his thick umber eyebrows furrowing. "Hey, Armin. You should put that away before someone sees it."
"Huh? This old thing?" Armin looked surprised. "It's not very valuable, Eren. Just an old keepsake from my grandfather. It tells the time just fine, but it's not in that great condition…" He showed Eren the narrow crack that ran across the watch's glass surface. "It's not anything that someone would bother to steal."
"You're right," admitted Eren, "but the drought's made people here pretty desperate, hasn't it?"
"You have a point." Armin sighed as the two of them turned to Mikasa, who was in turn gazing wistfully at the barren landscape - in which only a few withered clusters of wheat stems sprouted from the cracked soil.
"We get less and less harvest every year," she mused. "Eventually there will be nothing left, and the Canes will simply leave us to starve."
Eren gritted his teeth. "There's no way I'll ever let that happen. All of those bastards will die before I let a single one of our own die from this stupid famine."
"Ssh!" Armin and Mikasa hushed Eren, their warning almost being drowned out by the shouts of the conductor in the background.
"Huh?" Eren muttered, confused. "Why are you two so paranoid? It's not like there are ever any Canes in Shiganshina. It's just another lousy agricultural Vulpis district to them."
"Yes, but… well…" A hiss of steam punctuated Armin's words as the train prepared to take off. "You never know who might be listening. The government is prepared to take any measures to quash Vulpis rebellion, and that includes hiring Vulpes to spy on their own kind."
Eren scowled. "Traitors like that aren't worthy of being called Vulpes. I don't understand why any Vulpis would ever do that, Armin. You sure those aren't just rumours?"
"No, not really," the blond admitted. "But most Vulpes aren't like you, Eren. They're perfectly content living under Canis rule, so long as they're able to live in peace among their families and lead ordinary, law-abiding lives."
Eren's forest-green eyes were fixated on the metallic floor of the train. "But that's not true peace. That's not true freedom," he muttered.
The young Vulpis almost stumbled as the train shifted beneath him. He looked up, as he had so many times before, and watched as Wall Maria was rapidly reduced into a grey-brown bar on the horizon. The wheat fields of Shiganshina quickly blazed past, before dissolving into the greenery and red-gold of a natural pine forest. Eren was so lost in his thoughts, he barely noticed the train stopping, and only just managed to adjust his balance in time before he almost slammed face-first into the iron-plated flooring.
The seats opposite Armin and Mikasa were vacated as a middle-aged couple stood up to leave, and Eren sat down heavily next to the window. The view that greeted him outside the glass was an industrial zone – factories and pylons crowded in among blackened shacks. Numerous chimneys emitted an odious dark substance into the air, which collected into clouds that writhed like swarms of angry black wasps. Although he'd passed through this district many times before, he couldn't help but feel sorry for its citizens. The conditions in Shiganshina are pretty terrible, that's true, but at least I'm not breathing in chemical smog twenty-four seven. Also, this district happened to be one of the Vulpis districts that were directly overseen and governed by Canes. The citizens of Shiganshina were extremely poor and were only able to eat less than a quarter of their own crop, for economic and legal reasons. But at least they didn't have a Canis overlord constantly breathing down their necks, as the inhabitants of this particular district did.
"Is this seat taken?"
Eren was snapped out of his stupor by the question. He turned his head to see a fairly young male Vulpis – perhaps in his late twenties – with a head of shiny, slicked black hair and a slight scowl upon his features. Despite his age, he was shorter even than Armin, though he still seemed imposing. Perhaps it was his dress code – mostly black, yet untainted by the smog; a bowler hat concealed his ears from view as a heavy black coat swathed the rest of his body; and a spotless white cravat poked out from between his lapels. His impassive grey eyes bored into Eren's.
"Uh, nope," Eren replied, rather unsettled by the other Vulpis's gaze. But as the newcomer settled down next to him, he immediately regretted admitting the truth. The grey-eyed Vulpis reeked of some sort of sterile chemical – the stench was so strong that it concealed his natural scent. The umber-haired teenager wrinkled his nose, trying not to inhale the sharp, acrid aroma. Does this guy even have a sense of smell? he mused in distaste.
But his stink only contributed. The dark-haired Vulpis appeared uncomfortable in his position, casting frowning glances at Eren, Armin and Mikasa in turn. "Tch," he grumbled, "just my luck to end up next to a bunch of teenage brats."
Eren barely thought before he responded. "Well, maybe I don't like sitting next to a stinking adult like you!" he exploded vehemently.
The other occupants of the carriage looked over at Eren's outburst. One elderly Vulpis peered over the rim of his newspaper to view what was going on.
Eren felt his face sting as the stranger's palm suddenly impacted on his cheek. "Did no one ever teach you to respect your elders?" he thundered. "Ignorant brat."
Eren wanted to return the slap threefold, but Mikasa reached out and grabbed his hand before he could do so. Eren gritted his teeth – Mikasa's grip was like an iron vice. She stared threateningly at the short Vulpis.
"I apologise for my brother's behaviour, sir." But the female Vulpis hardly sounded apologetic in her tone. In fact, her sentence carried an undertone of "But if you touch him again, I won't hesitate to kill you."
Her adversary barely acknowledged her. Since Eren was still imprisoned by Mikasa, he resorted instead to glaring at the short Vulpis with all his might. Of course, the stranger simply ignored him.
Eventually, the younger Vulpis gave up, staring at the blurred scenery outside without truly seeing it. Armin made a few attempts to resume the conversation, but each proved futile. None of them felt comfortable with that strange Vulpis in such close proximity, and Eren was far too frustrated to talk.
It seemed as though an age had passed by the time the train finally pulled up at the boundary district of Trost – their destination.
"Finally," Eren grunted, casting one last glance of utter contempt in the dark-haired Vulpis's direction. The latter returned the disdainful look, before sweeping out of the train and onto the platform without another word – save for another characteristic "Tch" that escaped his lips.
"Eren." Mikasa turned towards him. Despite her stoic expression, her eyes were filled with concern. "Are you okay? Did he hurt you badly?"
"No," Eren admitted as he pushed himself off his seat. His cheek still ached from the impact, however. He didn't like to admit it, but it had been a powerful blow for such a small Vulpis – stronger even than perhaps Eren was capable of.
Dazed and rather irritated, he stepped off onto the platform, ignoring his friends' worried glances. He barely registered the soles of his shoes touching the paved ground. He scanned the press of Vulpes cluttering the platform, but there was no sign of the bowler hat and cravat that he could see.
Eren touched his cheek, his face still set into a deep scowl. "Just who was that guy? Honestly, some people are just as bad as Canes…" As he spoke, a sudden thought rushed into his mind, and he turned to the blond beside him. "Armin, do you think he could be…?"
"It's too early to assume things, Eren," Armin replied. "Though… he did seem rather dubious. The way he covered his ears, and his scent… that detergent could have been acting as some sort of smokescreen…" He shook his head. "But then again, it might not have anything to do with that…"
"You need to watch your mouth, Eren," Mikasa added sternly. "It's what always gets you into trouble. His reaction was overkill, for sure, but I just don't want you getting into any danger."
"Yeah, I know," the brunette teenager grumbled without really hearing or contemplating Mikasa's words.
The three youths gradually edged their way through the crowd. Trost Central Station was unrealistically busy, as usual; Vulpes of every age, height or colour were packed onto every square metre of the platform; either languorously waiting for the next battered train to arrive or frantically rushing towards the exit. Eren, Armin and Mikasa were part of the latter group.
Out of habit, Eren glanced upwards at the dark marble clock tower that ascended rather majestically from the opposite platform like a black mountain jutting up from the ground. Reading off the time from its dish-sized crystal face, Eren could see that he was already almost forty-five minutes late for school, but that wasn't what bothered him.
Two sets of steel tracks and a chasm of stony gravel separated the two halves of the station. The gap was only about twenty metres across, but it might as well have been two hundred miles. No Vulpis was ever allowed to cross onto that platform, as it led to strictly Canis-only territory. The entire district of Trost, in fact, was split down the middle, with the train station at the centre of the fissure; Canis on one side and Vulpis on the other, with the train tracks and a double set of iron fences inbetween.
Trost was the only district of its kind in Dreimauer – one where both communities happened to reside parallel to one another; so close, and yet so far apart.
Eren's frown deepened. I feel sorry for the Vulpes who leave here too, he decided. It must be terrible living practically next door to the enemy.
The enemy… As Eren continued to shuffle through the thick swarm around him, he recalled what Armin had said earlier, just before the train left Shiganshina – that the enemy may well be all around them. He, too, seemed convinced that that strange Vulpis had some sort of dodgy disguise act on.
Could he really be a spy for the government? Eren wondered. Is he really a Canis… in the fur of a Vulpis?
He gingerly rubbed the area of skin where he had been slapped. It was still stinging, just slightly.
If he is, I'll give him more than just pain the next time I see him…
