Yeah. So I couldn't help myself with this one. I just saw the prompt and then this happened. It's been happening a lot actually. I'm having a hard time keeping up!

Prompt: "After the fall of Maria there were undoubtedly a LOT of misplaced orphans. So, Eren, being but a simple titan but still possessing the capacity for reason and a sense of justice, takes all of them under his massive arms and keeps other titans from killing them so that they can survive. This is naturally completely misunderstood by the scouting legion once they come across the surprisingly massive campsite."

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Disclaimer: I own the story and no one will be able to convince me otherwise.

ONWARD!

Prologue

The Cage Comes Tumbling Down

He remembered the Before.

Or at least, he thought he did. There used to be a time before the Titans, when Humanity flourished and prospered. But then everything changed and the Titans came into being and Humanity began to whither. It was slow at first, gradual. But as the number of Titans increased, the number of humans continued to fall. They became the weak link and they were forced to retreat into a cage if they wished to survive.

He hated that cage, those Walls that Humanity hid behind. They shouldn't have to, they should be free. No one wanted to be in a cage.

He knew.

Because he remembered.

He knew.

Because he used to be human.

His name was Eren.

He remembered that.

He remembered a Woman with warm eyes and a honey-sweet smile and a laugh, soft and gentle as the morning breeze. He remembered bits and pieces of a life Before. Sometimes he missed it. Sometimes he forgot it. He always remembered again though, and he would wonder. Wonder why he was this way now and why this happened and whatever happened to the Woman. He wondered how long it would be before he was allowed to let Humanity out of its cage, before his humans could be free. He wanted them to be able to walk across the land, to feel the wind and rain on their skin, to see the color of the land and the stars of the sky unhindered by the wall.

He didn't know when it would happen. It had already been so long since the Titans emerged, since Humanity was forced to retreat behind the walls.

But he would wait. As long as he needed to.

And he would fight. As long as he had to.

It was his way. It had always been his way. He remembered the Man who told him so. He needed to protect and defend. He was to be the sword and shield of Humanity. That was what he was made for, that was why the Man made him. Even though the Man had cried. He didn't know why the Man had cried, why he looked so sad when he pushed the needle in his arm, why he looked so pained when Eren changed. And then everything was blank and when he remembered again, he was alone. The Man and the Woman were gone and so were all the other humans. There were only Titans. And the bodies. He never forgot the bodies. The pools of blood, the crushed limbs, the frozen expressions of terror, the echoing screams. And he had been so angry. The humans were gone. The Man and the Woman were gone. And it was the Titans' fault. He had burned with so much anger and hate that he grabbed the nearest Titan and tore it limb from limb. He remembered the rush of satisfaction he had felt, the way the Titan's body crumbled under his hands. But he also remembered the Titan's eyes. It didn't remember. Why didn't it remember? Wasn't it human too? Once upon a time?

But he never found an answer. None of the others remembered. They only wanted to hurt his humans. So he killed them. Because he was the only one left to protect his humans. The Man had said so.

So when he saw the first Wall of Humanity's cage start to crumble, he went cold with horror. It wasn't time yet! It was too soon! Humanity wasn't ready to be free of its cage yet!

He ran forward without thought, ripping through the Titans spilling through the wall, crushing skulls and tearing out necks. He was too slow though and he saw the bodies. Again. And he remembered the Man's tears and the Woman's smile and he roared. He punched and kicked and tore and bit and ripped and squeezed. No more bodies. There weren't supposed to be any more bodies!

He dropped the dissolving corpse in disgust, ready to continue on when a small, terrified squeak reached his sensitive ears. He paused, looking around. There were no more Titans in this area. But there was blood. Too much blood. Tilting his head back some, he took a breath through his nose and caught a scent under the blood and death. It was human. There were still humans here and they were alive. He could hear their heartbeats, fast and frantic. Cautiously, he turned into the alley to his left, kneeling down by a pile of debris. He lifted it away and was met with a high pitched scream.

He stared.

Two humans. A male and a female.

But they were so tiny. Eren knew that meant they were young. So young. They pressed themselves back against the wall, curled together and trembling, teary, fearful eyes locked onto him. Eren felt something in him ache at the sight.

Carefully, he reached out and wrapped a hand around them. They screamed and tried to get away, but he ignored their terror and placed them on his shoulder, against his neck. Then he stood and continued on. He felt them trembling against his skin, but he could not give them words of comfort; not ones they would understand anyway.

So he did the only thing he could and ignored them.

Slowly he felt their terror begin to leave them as their trembling slowed and they curled against his neck. He huffed when he felt an ever so slight tug on his hair and the two forms froze. But he continued to ignore them.

He saw more Titans in the distance, but he had to be careful. He couldn't fight like he had been anymore. He needed to protect his humans. But the two made him wonder: were there others?

So he wandered through the streets, picking through the rubble and swiftly dealing with any Titan that came too close. He needed to protect his humans. That came first. His humans were more important than killing Titans. He didn't seek out and destroy them, acutely aware of the small bodies clinging to him.

He had to protect.

And he would.

As he found human after human in the ruined town. They were all so very terrified and so very, very young. Eren hurt inside, he hurt for his humans. He hurt because they were scared of him. But he wouldn't hurt them. He would never hurt them. He was going to protect them. He would shield them, keep them safe.

One by one, he lifted them up onto his shoulders. He felt their fear even as they clung to him, but he lifted them still, always gentle, always careful. He remembered. Humans were fragile. They were easy to break. He didn't want to break them. So he was careful.

There were so many of them. And they were all so tiny, so young.

The last one was the smallest.

He heard the little cry under a crushed house. Slowly, he lifted away the roof. There was a woman – not his Woman, but a woman all the same – and she was still. So very still. There was no beating in her chest and Eren knew she was gone. But in her arms, shielded from the debris, was a wriggling bundle. Carefully, he moved the fallen wood off the woman and pried her arms away. He scooped the bundle into one palm and pinched the blanket between his fingers, pulling it away. It was the tiniest human he had ever seen. And it screamed, not in terror like the others had, but in loss, in loneliness. Eren whimpered in the back of his throat and he felt the others on his shoulders startle at the sound. But the littlest one in his palm fell quiet. Curiously, he peered down and saw bright blue eyes staring back at him. The little one hiccupped and wriggled in his palm, sucking on its fist. Eren hummed, content that his littlest human was no longer lonely. But he couldn't keep this little one in his palm. He needed to have his hands free.

So carefully, he turned his head, mindful of the fact that many of his humans were holding fistfuls of his hair, and looked at his biggest humans. The first two that he had picked up. They were calmer now but he could tell that they were still weary of him. He brought up his palm and presented them with the tiniest. They looked confused at first before the girl's eyes flickered to his. He looked back at her, waiting for her to understand. Slowly she stood and jumped into his palm. The boy made a sound of alarm, but when she scooped up his littlest human, he quieted and helped her back to his shoulder.

That was the last. He could tell. The others had all fled or been killed. Eren ached inside. He remembered the Woman saying that the ache meant his heart hurt, that he was sad. He tipped his head back and let out a mournful cry. But he could not linger in his grief; his humans needed him. So he turned away from the ruined city, away from the broken cage, and looked towards the trees.

His humans needed him to keep them safe.

So he would.

So first part is done! There will be more to come, but what do you think so far?

Review and let me know!

Until next time,

~Elri