When he heard the roar, bestial and raw, echoing through the woods, he felt his blood run cold. "Eren." he muttered. "Something's gone wrong." Twisting, he shot through the trees in the direction of the sound, hands reaching instinctively for blades, his mind turning. Erwin wanted me to refuel.
Eren wouldn't have transformed unless there was a serious threat. Was there another shifter? Levi's vision began to narrow, and he accelerated faster and faster. I need to get there in time.
Gunter appeared first, suspended in the air. Blood was trickling up the back of his leg, onto the wire he dangled from. It didn't make sense. A part of Levi wanted to laugh, because it looked like a prank. How did Gunter get there? Who could have done that to him?
He saw Eld next. A wry smile on the man's face, as he stared up, glassy-eyed, into the sky. As if something in the clouds amused him. His blond hair was speckled with flakes of dust. Levi couldn't bring himself to look below the torso.
When he saw Olou, the vise around his heart began to take hold. Olou had landed in the grass, and then slid another twenty feet or so. A long red smear against the dirt, leading up to his twisted body. Levi felt the pressure building up in his toes, in his gut, threatening to spill out his mouth.
Petra. Where was she? He scanned the trees, desperate, unwilling. A flash of auburn caught his eye.
She lay against the tree trunk as if resting. Her legs were bent at an impossible angle.
He landed next to her, and let out a small gasp when he realized she was still breathing. "Petra," he said. Her head was tilted up at the sky, but her eyes were closed. He reached out to her. "Petra, can you hear me?"
She blinked—her eyes looked past him, listless. "Levi, is that you?"
"Yes."
"Levi…"
He felt something rising in his chest, but held it back as best he could. "I tried to make it in time," he said.
"She has Eren," Petra said, her eyes still unfocused. Her voice was calm. "The Female Titan. She regenerated so quickly. We didn't realize." She closed her eyes. "You need to get him back, Levi."
"I will," Levi said. "I'll get him back. I promise. You stay here, okay? Don't do anything stupid. The others will be here soon. Remember your training."
"Levi, please. My father. Tell him I died peacefully."
"No." Levi reached down, cupping her cheek, wiping away a line of blood that was making its way down her face. "You can tell him yourself. We still need you. Don't you dare."
His hand had found hers, and was pressing, gently, as if he could will energy back into her. He saw her chest rise, and fall. Her breath came out shaky.
"Levi," she said, in a faint whisper. "I'm afraid."
Levi blinked. There was a tear trickling down his chin. "Petra." Memories flashed as he looked at her face. He gritted his teeth. "I don't know. If there are more missions for us, in the next life." He rested his forehead against hers. "You wait. You hear me? You find Gunter, and Eld, and Olou. You wait for me there. I'll find you." Her breathing was so faint now.
"You get them, and you find a home there, okay?" Levi said. "Somewhere warm, with a fire. Somewhere safe. Make sure you clean it… it better be spotless when I get there. You hear me? That's an order. They'll need someone to keep them in line, until I get there, so you be hard on them."
Her breathing slowed. He felt the slightest press of her hand in his—she was reaching for him. He entwined his fingers through hers, and choked back the weight in his throat. "No matter where you go," he told her. "There's nothing that could keep me from you."
She managed one last shaky breath, and then he heard her last exhale, like a soft breeze against his cheek. Her hand went limp.
After a moment, he leaned back. Her eyes were still closed. She looked calm.
"Damn you," he whispered. He got to his feet, wiping his face with the back of his hand.
Eren.
The footprints were giant, leading off into the dark shade of the trees.
A small spark ran across his heel, up his calf and the length of his spine, down his arms, into his heart. He felt a boundless energy. Female Titan, he thought, his gas canisters spitting, his hooks burying into the wood. I'm coming for you.