A/N
Heyyooooo, my lovely peeps! And WELCOME to my first published Ereri fanfiction (FINALLY)
I have wanted to do one of these for so damn long now and I'm finally getting around to publishing my very first Ereri fic :D I'm a little excited if you couldn't already tell. I'll keep this short and just say that I'll be updating more often when I finish my main focus story, being Run From Heaven. Once that story's finished, it's full speed ahead with this one.
Anyhoozles, I'll let ya read now :3
Enjoy the chapter ^^
Peace out, my lovely peeps!XxX
єrєn's p.σ.v
Good. This is good. I may be running at such a grinding pace that it causes my paws to ache like crazy and I'm so spent for breath it feels as though my lungs are about to burst, but this is still good. Because they haven't caught my scent yet. They haven't managed to sniff me out in the midst of this densely-clustered forest, what I would usually explain as soft grass being crushed under my heavy pads. But, right now, these harmless blades feel like acupuncture to my exposed feet, a hiss of pain slipping through my gritted teeth with each strained pant.
It's so exhausting trying to escape a threat that isn't even perusing you. But I'm not about to let myself get sought out by an entire squad of scouts when I can distinctly detect the aroma of two sentinels. Those bastards would rip me apart if they managed to find me. After all, a lone wolf is considered a danger to any pack. Especially a lone wolf who has just abandoned his own kin. I still reek of their scent. It shrouds me like a blanket that I'm unable to shake, no matter how desperately I may thrash around in an attempt to remove it.
And, with the sudden eruption of distant howls, my stomach caves when the oh so joyous revelation is flung upon me. They know. They can smell me. And now, there's no doubt that they're coming for me. Well isn't tonight just my fucking night? Suppressing a growl, I pound my paws into the ground even harder, the poor pads wailing for just a second to cool off, tight coils of a painful ache thrashing through the nerves contained within them. But I can't stop. Of course I can't; that'd just be too easy. To clamber up a tree and hope they walk right by as if nothing ever happened. But, to them, they've just caught the scent of a wandering omega from another pack. And there's no way in hell they're gonna like it.
I bet they think I'm a spy, sent from my pack to infiltrate theirs so that I may be able to gain information on how they function, before reporting it back to my kin, allowing a bitter and tragic war to begin. Oh yeah, because I'd really do that. Who the fuck wants a war?! Then again, that ideology won't get me anywhere; from the smell of them, they're the kind of 'claw throat out first, ask questions later' kind of pack. Again, just my fucking luck.
Despite sprinting through the forest as fast as I possibly can, after at least half an hour of a torturous burning slicing through my feet and limbs, I suddenly hear the beating of their paws slamming against the earth, a collection of at least 4 in pursuit. Shit. Shit shit shit shit. There's no way I'm gonna get out of this alive, is there? They're gonna catch me. They're gonna kill me. My damn mother was right; I didn't stand a single chance as a lone wolf. But I guess it's too late to listen to her now.
Just as that thought is bleeding through my mind, a pair of claws suddenly slice into my shoulder blades, an agonised yelp screaming from my lungs as I collapse onto my front, pinned down by this clearly superior hunter, his teeth bared in victory when I convert back to flesh in order to shoot a glare at him. However, before I can even attempt to study his form, he latches his jaw onto one of the ears that pokes from underneath my mahogany hair, a cry of pain ripping from my as I ball my hands up into tight fists, the claws that are still retracting carving crescent moons into my palms.
"Connie, Jean and Armin could come back any minute," a timid voice whispers from behind the wolf poised on top of me, his teeth ripping a chunk of my skin away, encouraging blood to spill from my now-chipped ear, a whine leaking from the back of my throat as I decide to just submit. I can't fight him; he's too strong for me. He's bred for hunting. I'm bred to be bullied. In this case, death will be less painful if I just let it happen.
"Historia's right, Connie. Don't be an ass. He doesn't look like a threat. He's covered in bruises so he's clearly been used as a punching bag in his old pack. Leave him be," another voice interjects, though the grip that Connie has around my throat only gets tighter. And more human. He's converted back to flesh and is still able to overpower me? Then again, I guess it's to be expected.
"I don't give a shit if he was a filthy omega. He could be a spy, Ymir. Didn't you ever think about that?! I bet anything he would've arranged an attack on our pack," Connie snarls from above me, a sharp cry wailing from my when he readies his claws and swipes them down the entire length of my back, not stopping until there are four, ruby-coloured trails embedded into my olive skin. However, that doesn't seem to have any affect on him; he merely does it again and again, raking similar ribbons into my arms, legs and face until I look as though I'm more blood than skin.
"That's enough, Connie! We don't have to kill him!" Yet another feminine tone yells, the pressure on my limbs suddenly lessening when the speaker wrenches Connie off of me, my lungs tugging in needed oxygen with desperate claws the second my windpipe is opened up again, though my entire body is gradually beginning to tremble from the blood loss. I should be used to this kind of abuse, but I've never had it this bad.
"Get off of me, Sasha!" Connie growls, my body rolling me onto my side so that I can observe the two wolves brawling in front of me, snapping at each other's fur, clawing at their limbs and constantly holding feral snarls within their throats, a vicious gleam to their eyes. Still in human form, on flesh, as I prefer to call it, I huddle my knees to my chest, scooting away a little so that I can push my back to the bark of a nearby tree, though the connection with the rough substance causes me to wince when it rubs against my exposed wound.
"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?!" A dominant voice suddenly roars through the small clearing, the strong scent of a sentinel rolling off of the two wolves that are poised at the edge of where the area leaks into thicker foliage, rage splintering through the burning, chestnut eyes belonging to the clearly larger male. However, when he snaps his gaze away from the group of four, clearly disobedient, hunters in order to fixate it with my own, a heavy stone drops in my stomach, fear stabbing through my nerves like a million little knives.
"You four know not to disobey orders. We specifically ordered you to continue hunting whilst we chased down our kill! You deliberately went against us!" The smaller, golden-furred sentinel snaps, both Connie, and who I can only guess is Sasha, wincing from the intensity of his tone. And I'm not gonna lie that I flinched a little too. However, the chocolate-furred wolf beside him proceeds to nudge the slighter one's shoulder, nodding his head in my vague direction, my knees pressing against my chest with an increased pressure.
The second the two start to advance towards me, reconstructing their bodies to take on their flesh forms with each fresh step, my pulse rockets into overdrive, a terrified whimper trickling from me as I back myself against the tree upon which my tattered skin is already pressed, only aggravating the wound as I do. I can't deny that I'm a wimp. It's a part of my nature as an omega. I'm meant to be the bitch. The one that anyone can take their frustrations out on because there's nothing better to do than bully the weakest member of the pack.
"I-I swear, I-I don't want any trouble! I just wanted t-to get away from m-my other pack. I-I don't m-mean any harm!" I helplessly wail, burying my eyes into my knees to hide the shame of crying in front of these hugely superior hybrids. I'm gonna die. They're gonna kill me. I don't wanna die. I don't wanna die! This can't be it. My life can't have led up to nothing but this. Oh God... I don't wanna die!
However, all thoughts are silenced when the soft touch of a damp tongue presses itself to one of the wounds upon my arms, the smaller sentinel bearing a head of long, blonde hair that manages to perfectly accent his icy-blue eyes running the small collection of pink flesh over each trail of ruby. Why... Why's he licking my wounds clean?
"Shh. You don't have to get yourself all worked up. It's not good for you," he murmurs when he comes up for breath, though he resumes dabbing his tongue against the scratches in a caring, almost delicate, manner, suiting the calmness in his voice. I-I don't understand. He's a sentinel. He should want to kill me in order to protect his alpha. But he's not. He's... He's helping me. "Jean, I don't think this will heal without proper medical attention. We have to take him back with us," he mutters, my mind concluding that he must be named Armin through the process of elimination, his eyes locking with the cold ones that belong to the boy that clearly must hold the title of his mate.
"Not happening, Armin. I'm not risking our necks for some damned omega. I say we leave him to die," Jean mutters with a simple shrug, as though he couldn't give less of a shit about me and what might happen to me should they all decide to abandon my pitiful form. And I don't blame him; even I'm temped to tell Armin that he shouldn't even try to argue my case. But he does, his golden ears flattening against his head as he suddenly wrenches his tongue away from one of the cuts gracing my cheek, shooting what appears to be a disgusted look at his mate.
"I'M NOT LEAVING HIM HERE TO DIE, JEAN!" He screams, every hybrid present flinching from his sudden outburst, me included, whilst Jean just blinks, as though he hasn't been fazed in any sort of way, though his widened orbs of mahogany tell a different story. However, he soon furrows them back into a nonchalant frown, sighing as he runs a hand through his messy undercut, distress evident within his eyes.
"And I'm not letting you get hurt when the alpha finds out we're harboring a fucking lone wolf! We don't have the authority to accept him into the pack, Armin! Levi would kill you if he found out!" Jean stresses, a thick lump getting caught in my throat at just the sheer mention of their alpha. They wouldn't have a chance trying to keep me hidden if they were crazy enough to take me back to their pack. It'd be a suicide mission.
"I won't abandon him. He needs help, Jean. Our help," Armin protests, clearly reluctant to give up with trying to convince his mate to aid me, more blood pulsing from my wounds once the effects of Armin's saliva wears off, though he notices and quickly begins to lap at the cuts of crimson, a concerned look etched into the flecks of his irises every time I'm able to catch sight of the icy orbs. I don't understand why he cares. I'm just an omega from another damn pack for Christ's sake! Why is he so determined to help me?
"I won't let you risk your life for this!"
"Well I won't let him die!"
"Just stop being so damn stubborn and leave him! He's not your concern!"
"I don't care if he is or not. I. WON'T. LET. HIM. DIE!" Armin practically screams, though a gasp suddenly hitches in his throat, prompting him to pull away from me so that he can press his hands to his stomach, wincing in what is clearly pain. And, despite just being in a full-blow argument, Jean quickly rushes over to his mate, crashing to his knees beside him with his eyes widened in a fear that I didn't think possible to hold a place within his harsh irises, his palm kneading circles into the blonde's back.
"You're pushing yourself too much, Min. Your body can't handle this much stress," Jean coos in a tone that I haven't heard him utter until now, confusion lacing through me as I just stare at the two sentinels, Armin softly rubbing his abdomen whilst Jean massages his tense shoulders, utter care darting through the older boy's eyes.
Which he gradually tracks in my direction, a sudden wave of fear rolling through my entire body. "If he gets hurt because of you, I'll fucking kill you," Jean snarls at me in more than an aggressive manner, though he instantly reverts back to soft hushes when Armin releases a tiny whimper from his small lips. Hold on... Is he... Is he agreeing to take me in? "Ymir, Historia, help him up," he snaps to the two smaller wolves, though they morph into flesh so that their fingers can grasp my biceps, a yelp whining from me when pressure is placed upon the wounds. But they're being gentle, that much I can judge through their delicate grips. It's as though they actually care.
"The alpha's gonna flip his shit when he finds out~!" Connie sings from behind us as he follows up the rear alongside Sasha, who gives him a warning snarl that instantly shuts him up, though there's a constant smirk worn upon his features that she fails to remove. Shooting a vicious glare in Connie's direction, Jean prepares to scoop Armin up bridal-style, though the blonde protests against it, stating that he can walk by himself. I wonder what the hell happened to him; it was as though it physically hurt him to argue with his mate. Is that a thing? If so, I never knew about it.
"Nobody is to tell the alpha of this," Jean spits at the small group of scouts, who all obediently nod their heads to seal their silent promises, even Connie agreeing to keep his big mouth shut. I already know that I'm gonna hate that guy for the entirety of the time I'm gonna spend healing. Technically, if anything happened to Jean and Armin for allowing this, it'd be his fault for attacking me in the first place. But I'm not about to point that out.
So I just walk/limp beside Historia and Ymir, my ears constantly twitching around to tune into the solitary sounds of the nature that surrounds me whilst my fairly-bushy tail nervously flicks around behind me, both my palms and feet aching from all of the running I did earlier. But it was all for nothing; I still got attacked. I still got injured. I still bled until I felt as though I was about to pass out. But something else happened. Something that I never thought would.
I was defended by a sentinel.