Don't kill me... This may be another one shot turned multi chapter story... May be...
I actually started this one a couple months ago, before Everything Is On Fire and New Beginnings.
I just glanced over it, next thing I knew, I was writing it flat out again!
I haven't forgotten the others.. I'll get them done... Soon! :/
This contains major spoilers, so look away now if needs be!
Anyway, this one is about the Female Titan attack. Only this time, only poor Günter was KIA.
It's not that I don't like him - I love Günter - it just made sense that his death would be the kick off point for their reactions.
Usual disclaimers etc...
Enjoy and please review! :)
The atmosphere in the castle was tense and heavy, the loss of their comrade weighing on each of Levi's squad members minds.
Günter had always been quiet, keeping mostly to himself, but he had been an essential part of their team, of their family. He always made Petra laugh and had an uncanny ability to tell when she was upset, even when she didn't realise it herself. He was like a caring brother and his loss was ripping her apart inside.
To see him cut down and slaughtered in front of them like one of the Titans...it was a disgusting, barbaric act. And the knowledge that is was by one of their own made it all the worse. The fact that the person had known what an impact that particular type of death would have...it put the cold fury deep in their hearts that made them desperate to make this sick individual pay dearly.
The remaining squad members sat in pained silence at the table in the dining hall, forgotten cups of coffee and tea in front of them.
Aurou sat with a frown etched deep into his skin. He had a splint supporting his shattered left wrist, a swollen, red eye and cuts and bruises everywhere.
Eld was grasping his cup, staring into its murky contents, his expression blank. His broken leg was propped on another chair, his jaw swollen.
Poor Eren was sitting beside Petra, even though by right he should be back in the infirmary after his clash with the female titan. His hands were shaking and his face was white as a ghost. She knew he was wracked with unnecessary guilt.
Captain Levi was sitting at the head of the table, a dark look overshadowing his features.
His arm was propped over the back of the chair, tapping his other hands fingers on the table. Petra herself was hugging her arms around her waist, her gaze on the empty chair across from her. She had a large slicing tear down her back, broken ribs, a gash on her forehead and cuts and bruises matching Aurou's.
Cold air crept off the walls of the castle, interrupting the soft waves of heat from the fire and settled on the back of Petra's neck and shoulders. She shivered involuntarily, but there was something beckoning about the chill.
She suddenly realised it was too hot, too close in this room that echoed loss. She felt like the empty seat was taunting her. The events from the day before were drilling through her brain, too. She kept seeing the moment they lost the upper hand with the human titan. It had been a terrifying ordeal.
It was after she'd taken Günter from them. She'd snuck up wearing a Scout's cape, the hood covering her face. They were too focused on getting Eren back to base, joking and teasing each other. They didn't realise until it was too late.
It was only when Günter was hanging upside down, neck slit backwards like a slaughtered titan, that they realised they were in danger.
The girl had then turned herself titan again, and tried to lure Eren. She had to have realised she'd fuelled the hate even more in the Levi Squad.
Discovering she had advanced defence mechanisms, Eld had led the new attack, no words needed between remaining team mates to know how to follow his lead. Acid rage and pain was the only thing running through their veins now.
Things quickly got out of control though.
Aurou and herself had been hacking away at the titan's arm muscles, trying to uncover her weak spot. They had already temporarily blinded her and finally her arms went slack, hanging by her side.
Eld had gone for the kill blow, trying to get her neck when she snapped at him. He narrowly avoided her snapping jaw, but lost control of his 3DM gear. Flicking a huge hand backwards, the she-titan backhanded him and he hit a tree with a solid thunk, leaves showering down after his body. He had slid unconscious to the ground and stayed there.
Petra's heart had frozen as she watched another member of the team get taken out, although she'd hoped above all else Eld was still alive.
She shot back in shock, hitting the ground before launching off with her gear. She vaguely remembered screaming about how she couldn't believe the blonde titan could see already when she'd received a startling glare from the single healed eye of the soldier-turned titan. She'd jolted forward after Petra, her long strides catching her up too quickly.
Petra had distantly heard Aurou screaming her name, but all she could do was stare at the foot coming at her.
This was it. Her luck had finally run out.
A single thought ran through her mind.
"I'm sorry Captain, for letting you down."
Suddenly, a large force - not as large as a titan foot, but enough to wind her - slammed into her side, pushing her out of line of the crushing blow.
A cloud of dust and splinters erupted from the ground where the titans foot had crashed into the tree trunk that had been planned for Petra's body.
She glanced around to see Aurou had grabbed her mid swing and was quickly trying to right his full speed launch.
"Hold on!" He yelled above the groan of the toppling tree.
The big blonde traitor had other ideas for them, spinning on her heel and grabbing the wire of Petra's teammates 3DM gear.
The titan ripped them back, the sudden change of direction causing both of their necks to snap back with whiplash. She rolled her giant shoulder, slinging them through the forest at an alarming rate.
Trees and bushes flashed past, and they skimmed off something, causing Aurou to gasp through his teeth in pain. Her arm was linked through one of his and he was grasping her side to him, but they were hurtling so fast and recklessly that they were fast losing grip.
They hit the ground, pain lancing through her back and ribs.
They bounced through the air again, spinning and when they hit the ground once more, they finally lost contact on each other.
Petra went flying to the left, Aurou to the right.
She felt branches and plants tear and bite into her face, neck and arms. She tried to grab something to slow her inevitable crash landing, but it only resulted in a hot, wet slash on her forehead.
Finally, mercifully, she rolled to a stop but the world kept spinning. Her stomach roiled and the contents were quickly upheaved. She fell backwards, away from the sick, and winced as the wound in her back pressed into something.
She was alive. But for how long? Was the titan coming after them?
She forced herself to look up, back where they'd come from. She'd flung them so far, but there was no sign of their target chasing them.
Hearing a groan across the clearing, Petra looked over to see Aurou on his front, trying to push himself up with his forearms. He let out a cry and looked down at his left arm.
Petra scrambled up, ignoring the screaming protest her body made. On wobbly legs, she half ran, half stumbled towards her friend.
"Aurou! Are..are you alright?" She gasped. Her ribs were on fire and it was slightly difficult to breath.
"Yes, but my wrist is busted. Damn cow! I'll kill her!" He ground out through the pain.
"She's so strong. I can't believe she was already healed..." Petra was staring back from where they'd come, but slowly tuned to look at him.
"Thank you. For saving me. I'm...I'm sorry I lost my nerve like that. It was just when she snapped at Eld like-" she broke off and they both shared a look. "We have to get back to him. Now! Can you stand?"
She didn't wait for him to answer, slipping her arm through his yet again, this time supporting him.
The two started a slow, torturous limp back to try rescue their team mate.
"I just hope she hasn't gone back to him," Petra hissed against a searing burning in her back. She pressed her hand to it and it came away a startling shade of red, seeping into the dry crevices in her palm and fingers.
"What happened to your back?" Aurou demanded when he saw the blood. He made her stop, concern overbearing on his face. "Damn it! It looks like one of our swords caught you."
Petra could feel his fingers gently probing the area.
She went to check her blades, but realised she only had one working one. The other was jammed, the blade broken at the base. It's silver gleam beckoned her to slide it home into the kit on her side, letting it be born anew with a brand new blade.
It refused to release the broken blade though and she simply left it sitting in the case.
"I'm down to one blade. What about you? How's your gear?" She asked him.
He grimaced and checked his own over.
"Looks alright, a bit dented and bashed, but I think the mechanisms are all ok."
"Either way, we're in no position to fight back. We need to get Eld and get him some help," Petra grunted. Her breath was getting heavy and laboured, like something was soaking up the oxygenation room in her lungs.
Refusing to fail her teammates again, Petra pushed on, helping Aurou, the only thing that kept her upright. It took much longer than they would have liked, but they finally neared the clearance.
The tree the blonde titan had tried to kill her with - Petra shuddered internally at the surreal sight of what could have been her death spot - had toppled over slightly, catching against its neighbour.
"Ok, let's see if that cow is lurking around somewhere," Aurou puffed, his skin clammy and pale but his drive to get help for her and Eld keeping him on his feet.
With a silent agreement to separate in case action was needed, they cautiously entered the area.
It was clear she was gone, birds having returned to the scene and singing sweetly, a sick, cynical joke in the atmosphere.
Petra stood trying to get her bearings and find where Eld had gone down, the sun dappling down on her through the canopy of trees.
Looking over and seeing Aurou gingerly crouching on the ground quite a way away, she distractedly headed over to him.
"What is it?" She asked quietly.
Aurou looked up ahead, past where Petra had fled.
"It looks like there was a scuffle. As in, Titan on Titan scuffle," Aurou gave her a meaningful look.
Petra closed her eyes and sighed in frustration.
"Eren."
"He must have turned when he saw us go down. Damn kid, we told him to run," Aurou growled, but Petra knew it was more out of worry for the young boy.
"Can we blame him? He thought we'd all been killed. He probably didn't even think about it," Petra shook her head, still scanning the area."We can't do anything now except find Eld."
Turning back the other way, she pointed to the trees, her ribs and back burning, her breathing still laboured and crackling. She figured adrenaline was the only thing keeping her going.
"I think he fell over there."
Aurou stood slowly, his eye basically swollen closed as he frowned at her.
"Petra, your breathing doesn't sound good. Can you breath properly?" He asked her worriedly.
"Don't worry about me. I got this far, I'm not going to stop until we have Eld," she insisted, walking ahead of him.
They searched the trees and it didn't take long until they found him, blonde hair stained red from where he'd hit his head on the tree.
He was utterly still and sickeningly pale, especially against the starkness of the blood.
Petra froze as Aurou once again fell into a crouch, checking their friend for a pulse.
"Is he..." She couldn't bring herself to finish that sentence.
"No, his pulse is weak, but there," he stated over his shoulder. Petra sighed in relief, her gaze now travelling his unconscious body.
Giving a horrified gasp, she felt her eyes widen.
"Aurou, his leg," she croaked out.
Aurou's attention turned down to take in Eld's leg, twisted back at an impossible angle.
"Shit," he hissed, moving over to take gentle hold of the mangled limb.
"Help me move him," he ordered, not looking at her as she visibly blanched.
"Are you sure that's a good idea? What if we do more damage?" She fretted.
"Look, at this stage I don't think it can get any worse," he argued, his waved blonde hair stuck to his head with sweat, dirt and the general trauma they'd gone through.
"Alright, alright!" She grimaced as he shot her a look, causing her to give in and move to hold Eld's side up so Aurou could straighten out the leg.
With great effort on their injured parts, they managed to get him lying in the recovery position, with his leg looking less atrocious.
The physical exertion had worsened the state of Petra's chest and lungs, and she was nearly bent over double trying catch her breath.
She waved away Aurou's efforts to help her - he couldn't do anything, anyway, she argued with herself.
"Wh-what do we do now?" She rasped, holding her chest tight as if she could dispel this increasing feeling of her lungs filling with water.
"We need help. One of us will have to go for a wagon," he frowned unhappily, looking her over again, "I highly doubt you are in any shape to travel, especially alone... But I don't want to leave you both unprotected."
While she was grateful for the sentiment, Petra felt indignation swell up in her.
"I'll protect him if needs be. Trust me, I'm not going to let you guys down again." She shook her head angrily at herself.
"Petra, don't be ridiculous. You didn't fail us! For goodness sake, that thing isn't like anything we've fought before, it's perfectly sane to react the way you did," he brushed off her self blame angrily. "But I'm still not happy leaving you alone."
"Ugh, this is pointless! Look, he needs help, your gear is still slightly working. It makes sense for you to go," Petra urged, feeling they were wasting precious time.
Neither had time argue another point as the sound of 3DM gear whirled behind them.
Both soldiers turned, relief making Petra weak and shaky as Captain Levi landed, poised and deadly, and strode towards them without breaking pace once in his descension.
A deep frown was etched in his forehead and he reached them in a matter of seconds.
"You're alright," he stated simply, but Petra knew he was relieved, his face drawn and tense but his dark eyes kept flicking between his two conscious subordinates.
"Captain," Petra sighed softly, her eyes closing briefly before she and Aurou exchanged a relieved look.
"What the hell happened?" He demanded, moving over to crouch over Eld, his soldier instincts still working in full mode.
"That damned whore, she blind sighted us," Aurou growled, rubbing his damaged wrist subconsciously. "She snuck up on us in human form, wearing a Scouts cloak. She..." Aurou grimaced in agony as he ground out the heart wrenching sentence, "She killed Günter."
Levi's face didn't show surprise, his gaze still fixed on his examination of Eld's injuries. His voice, however, gave away a hint of his inner turmoil.
"I know. I found his body, but I couldn't find any of you. I must have missed Eld."
He paused for a second, before saying in a lower tone, "I tried to get here."
Petra knew exactly what he meant, of how he must have realised the trap they were headed into at the misguiding signal that had drawn them this way. Right to the slaughter.
"We thought it was you calling us, Captain," Petra said softly, her gaze unfocused and arms clenched to her sides. Levi looked up at her broken words, his calculating gaze holding her eyes for a few seconds before taking in her injuries.
"We need to get help. Can you two travel?" He demanded, already standing and preparing his gear.
"We'll manage," Aurou confirmed, knowing the Captain had this under control now.
"Alright, Aurou, help me get Eld up. The wagons and rescue parties should be near by. Let's get as far as we can."
The two men made plans, standing over Eld's body.
Petra stood a bit behind them, but their words were fast becoming unintelligible, her lungs so full now she could barely get enough oxygen in. Her head swam and her chest gurgled and bubbled.
She was vaguely aware that the men had glanced at her, asking, she thought, was she ok to move. With a nod, she dared herself to give up and lay down.
To make herself a burden to them.
Levi and Aurou had winched Eld upright, Aurou's bad wrist around his waist so his good one could grip his teammates arm to stop him falling.
Even with Levi, they were struggling forward under the weight of the unconscious Eld, who was tall and muscly.
Petra tried to follow, each step feeling like she was dragging through quicksand. She was vaguely aware that her breath was now rattling audibly out of her throat, sounding harsh and loud in her echoing ears.
The forest was spinning worse than when they'd ceased their death spiral through the air.
She fell to the right, caught herself on a tree and stumbled forward again.
She knew she couldn't keep going, but stubbornly kept putting one foot in front of the other. After only two or three steps though, her body couldn't function and she felt the world tilt.
As she pitched forwards, she saw Levi and Aurou turn to look at her with alarm, Levi starting to release his hold on Eld to catch his female squad member.
Next thing she knew, she was staring at the fluttering green carpet of tree tops, breathing ceasing.
Levi's face appeared over her, his mouth forming angry, soundless words. Her brain filtered them in though, maybe due to her unflinching loyalty and sense of duty.
He was ordering her to stay awake, that she better not dare close her eyes.
She realised then, that her lids were shuttering up and down of their own accord, fighting directions.
Wanting to obey her Captain, she forced her eyes open.
Fuzzy, echoing words seeped in; Levi was saying something about a collapsed lung, no oxygen getting in.
Could she have spoken right then, she would have told him that was obvious, and how did he think he'd cope breathing through this soup occupying her lungs?
More words were exchanged, Aurou's worried tone mixing with Levi's clipped one.
The Captains face was above her again, telling her... What? Pressure... Something would hurt?
Suddenly, there was a harsh pop-crack and something jabbed into her chest. The agony was temporary as it felt like someone had blasted the liquid back in her lungs and gushed air in.
Petra felt her body give a heaving gasp as it dragged in as much air as it could, resulting in her chest giving a new, different burning sensation as the sudden intake of air proved overwhelming.
She shot upwards as a moist, racking cough claimed her ribcage.
Her head and hearing had cleared, the sudden freeness of it all making everything seem too loud, too clear.
She was folded forward, hacking and rasping in breath, stillness and awareness taking hold of her once again.
A hand was on her back, it's pair firmly gripping her upper arm.
"Easy, Petra. Just take deep breaths, in through the nose, out the mouth."
She realised it was Levi's voice near her ear, his face close to hers as he tried to ensure she was fully present again and recovering her breath. His dark hair was falling into his face as frowned worriedly at her.
She could only nod in response, feeling drained and woozy. She glanced up to see Eld had been hastily propped against a tree ahead of her, still no way near consciousness.
He had to get help. They had to go.
Petra tried to get up, fully intending to try carry him herself if she had to. He needed help, now!
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Her Captain demanded, holding her in place with his shocking strength.
"Captain, we have to get him help. Hav-have to..." She gave another cough as her lungs greedily protested to her speaking so soon and wasting the sweet air that had been denied to them.
"Give yourself a minute, Petra," Aurou told her over her coughing fit, standing near her right shoulder. "We'll get him help."
"Shit."
She heard the word hissed once again, this time quietly from Levi. She glimpsed over her left shoulder to see him looking at the hand that had been on her back, it too stained crimson as hers had been when she'd felt her wound earlier.
"That's it. Aurou, I need to take care of these two. Can you manage to go ahead? You're not going to collapse on me, too?" He asked gruffly, battling the pros and cons of his options.
"Yes, my gear is still operational, Captain. I'll get help," he nodded, his injuries and needs being shoved aside for Eld and herself.
Again, she felt indignation and shame flickering through her throbbing body.
"Good, go. Watch yourself," Levi warned, his closest version of care and worry he could give.
With a stiffness to his usual grace (he usually tried to copy the Captains moves, but in reality, he was actually very lithe and athletic anyway), he launched off with his gear, disappearing through the trees in seconds.
"Captain, I could have kept going," Petra insisted.
He gave a derisive snort, eyeing her with well due doubt.
"You couldn't breath two seconds ago. I hardly think you can walk," his deep voice stated as he fell behind her line of vision.
"You need to take off your jacket," he ordered, already reaching for the shoulders gently but firmly.
"Why?" She asked, eyebrows rising in query.
"I need to stop your back bleeding. I think you've lost enough oxygen, let's not add bleeding out to the list," he retorted, her jacket now half off.
She winced in pain as she had to twist to help Levi get the second arm out. With that out of the way, he rolled up her shirt, no hesitation or reaction.
Any other time, she would have felt flustered at being so unprofessionally turned out before her superior, but now, she couldn't bring herself to care all that much.
Petra could feel his strong, warm hands brush over the wound, checking for debris before looking to stem it.
She heard him give a satisfied grunt that it was, in fact clean, before he, too, had his jacket off. Petra was too weak and dazed to react as he pulled his shirt over his head, revealing a toned, rippling torso.
Before she could even blink, he had shrugged his jacket back on, zipping it to cover himself before turning to the task at hand.
With a shredding fabric noise, he had ripped the bottom of his shirt off, wadding it up and pressing it to her back.
"Your shirt!" She managed to gasp, shocked at his apparent lack of care for his once pristine item of clothing.
"Is a shirt. I can replace that. You, not so easily," he muttered. Petra almost smiled at that, but again, she was too weak and shaky to really register it.
Holding the shirt-turned-bandage gently in place with a knee, he used the length of the arms and top part of the shirt to wrap around her chest, his arms briefly encircling her in an almost embrace, solid and safe, as he overlapped the arms and tied the padding in place.
"That will have to do," he announced, folding her shirt back down and helping her back into her jacket.
Coming around to crouch in front of her now, he held her gaze steadily, his steely eyes sucking her attention to him.
"Do you think you can stand? Seriously, not bullshitting me," he demanded.
Giving herself a mental once over, she braced her legs. They were weak and wobbly, but she'd recovered enough that she could probably support herself. She nodded at him and he took a firm hold of her forearms, heaving her to her feet.
The sudden move caused her head to rush and she fell forwards.
Levi caught her, holding her to his chest and glaring into her eyes.
"Sorry, Captain. Head rush, I'm ok," she reassured him.
With a sceptical look, he slowly released her, a hand hovering close to her in case he needed to right her again.
She stood steadier this time, and Levi gave her a last glance before turning back to Eld.
"He'll be ok won't he? He... He's going to wake up, right?" Petra asked nervously, not liking how pale her friend was.
"It's hard to say. We'll have to wait and see what the doctors say," he replied, checking the cut on Eld's head. The blood had crusted in series of lines down his face, his jaw starting to bruise heavily and swell.
He was so hurt. All because of that treacherous beast.
That brought a terrifying question to Petra's mind - terrifying, because she feared she already knew the answer.
"Captain?" She asked cautiously. He glanced at her briefly with a frown on his face, thinking she was about to faint again.
"The female Titan... What happened to her?"
Levi went quiet, mulling over his words. With a sigh, he answered simply.
"We lost her."
Petra had known something like that would be his answer, but it didn't make it any easier.
"And what about Eren?"
"I carried him back and left him with Mikasa and the medics. Unconscious," he clarified for her questioning look.
They were supposed to protect him, now Eren was seriously hurt, too. What had they done?
She put her face in her hands and just breathed, trying to process everything.
They'd been led into an attack they knew nothing about, with vague orders. Soldiers had died left, right and centre and they had lost Günter while being the only thing between the Titan and Eren.
Now, Eld and Eren were seriously injured, Aurou would be out of action for a few weeks at least and she felt like the biggest failure, not to mention how she felt shaken to the core.
She'd nearly died today, closer than she'd ever been before to death.
Letting out a noisy gush of air, she lifted her face again to find Levi watching her.
"We'll get her, Petra. I'll do everything in my power to take that traitor down," he swore to her, his voice ringing with certainty and power.
She smiled a small smile at him, nodding her head.
"I know, Captain."
She never doubted the Captain would let this be the end. He'd fight for the justice the fallen soldiers deserved.
For the justice the survivors deserved.
After a few more minutes, Petra had to sit on the ground, exhaustion lacing her every fibre.
Levi rooted in his pockets and took out a handkerchief - why he had one in his military uniform, she did not know, but it was Levi - and handed it to her.
She looked at it blankly for a second before turning her questioning gaze to him.
"For your head," he nodded at her, and she vaguely remembered feeling something cut her forehead.
She reached out and took it with a sheepish look. Good grief, she was a right mess.
"I seem to be ruining your uniform Captain," she joked lightly, pressing and dabbing the handkerchief to her cut.
He gave a breathy snort of laughter, surprised she could still joke in a time like this.
He supposed it was Eld's influence rubbing off; he always had an uncanny ability to be able to make people laugh, no matter what the situation.
Not that Levi would admit it, but he'd nearly - nearly - made him laugh a few times when his mood couldn't be darker. He just had that naturally funny personality that made him so likeable.
Glimpsing down at him now, he looked like he'd never say anything funny again, that his paling eyelids would never open.
He didn't dare voice this to Petra. She'd be devastated.
"Where is Aurou?" Levi muttered under his breath, worried he, too, was down and had not found help.
"I'm sure he'll be back soon," Petra soothed, but her gaze never left the blood stained rag in her hand.
It wasn't long after that when they heard the unmistakable noise of horses and a rattling carriage.
"About time," Levi muttered, standing up, at the same time Petra sighed a 'thank goodness'.
The Captain went to hail the carriage over, Petra rising tenderly to her feet and standing over Eld.
Levi came back with the carriage in tow, no sign of their comrade.
"Where's Aurou?" She frowned, looking on as a few men hopped out and headed their way.
Levi stood beside her, his shoulder nearly flush with hers.
"Medics made him stay behind. Wise choice, none of you are fit to travel long distance on foot or in air," he said, as he watched the retrieval of Eld with hawk eyes.
The soldiers stabilised his leg after Petra informed them on its condition when they'd found him.
It was only when they were laying his body down across the wooden bottom that a horrifying thought struck Petra.
"Captain! We can't go yet. We have to get Günter," she snagged his sleeve, a serious expression on her face. No way was their fallen comrade being left behind.
Levi's went rigid for a split second at this thought, but he pushed it away, turning to the soldiers who came in the carriage.
"Where's the recovery team?"
"They're working a few miles down the forest... There's a lot of soldiers to collect," a mousy brown haired boy informed them solemnly.
"There's one more. Just south of this clearing. He's suspended on his 3DM gear, so you'll have to cut him down," Levi told him. Petra had no idea how he kept his voice so steady and even.
The same boy nodded, relaying this to the higher ranking soldier of their group. The man sent a red haired girl to go tell the recovery team where to collect Günter.
"Don't worry. We'll get him," the boy nodded.
"Thank you," Petra spoke softly. That was a conversation that she never imagined having to have, despite the harsh reality of their job.
The soldiers resumed their task and Petra stood, hugging her chest with her arms.
When their friend was safely in the carriage, Levi hopped in quickly ahead of her and reached down, firmly holding her forearms again. He helped her up, supporting her upper body when she cringed and flinched in pain.
"Easy. Here, sit down," he ordered softly, lowering her gently to sit opposite Eld's unconscious form. His hand gently slid across her back as he released her, not letting go of the hand he guided her over with until the last second.
Petra glimpsed his expression as he finally released her and turned to ask the soldiers something; it was sort of protective. Even the way he stood, almost shielding her from the other soldiers. It struck Petra as odd, although for all she knew, she was imaging it. She had lost quite a bit of blood... And oxygen, maybe to the brain, resulting in her delusions that the Captain was being just so caring.
Not that he wasn't a caring man. Petra and the boys knew that he was and that he was capable of sharing his emotions, that he just didn't show it that often.
Snapping back to the present, Petra realised he was now lowering himself to sit beside her, his muscular legs splayed out beside hers, arms folded defensively against his chest.
One of the soldiers turned to them and told them they were rendezvousing with the main group heading back to the wall. The carriage set off with a flick of the reins, the wheels trundling and bouncing, jolting her aching body.
She was watching a middle aged man hover over Eld, checking him over.
"Are you actually a doctor?" She called over the noise of the wood creaking and horses snorting.
The soldier turned to look at Petra, his sandy eyebrows hitched upwards.
"No, field paramedic, so close enough right now," he informed her.
"What do you think?" She called, leaning over to be heard clearer over the other conversation between the carriage drivers, as well.
The man, grimaced and shook his, looking at Eld.
"Well, head injuries are always unique unto themselves. And considering he got hit by that Titan, then the tree, we don't know what other underlaying problems there are. Your squad mate filled us in on what happened when he found us," he answered her questioning frown as he detailed the event.
Petra shook her head and gave an exasperated sigh.
"So there's no telling how long he'll be unconscious for?" She persisted, just needing to hear it clarified: that he would, indeed, wake up.
The field medic swapped a look with Levi, who turned to Petra instead.
"Petra, look. He'll wake up when his body is ready. Right now, it needs to heal. So stop bothering the man and let him do his job," his deep voice rumbled at her, but his tone didn't make the words harsh, just insistent and firm.
"Yes, Captain," she merely nodded, still un satisfied by the lack of a definitive answer. She winced slightly as they hit a bump in the road, her ribs and lungs still feeling inflamed and raw.
"How about you? You look a little worse for wear," the man now smiled at her, and she found herself oddly annoyed. They should be focusing on Eld, not her.
"I'm fine," she lied.
"Petra," Levi scolded, looking straight ahead with his arms crossed.
The man glimpsed at Levi who nodded at him.
"Just let me take a look, ok? Make sure you don't need anything seen to right away," the paramedic insisted gently.
With a sigh, Petra complied, answering his questions.
"My ribs are probably the worst, but they'll be fine," she said uncomfortably.
"Mind if I check them over?"
Petra shot Levi a glance, wondering did she have to. He looked at her sideways and gave another nod.
Gingerly lifting her right arm, she allowed the man to feel over her ribs, wincing as he pressed against her bottom ribs.
"This is where the pains worst?"
She gave a slight nod in way of answer. Sighing, Levi turned his attention to the sandy headed man, knowing Petra was not going to be very helpful.
"She had a punctured lung when I got to them. Had to release the pressure. She probably broke a rib or two. Also, there's a deep laceration on her back. I bandaged it for now, but it will need sticthes," his voice was neutral as he listed off her injuries.
"Hmm, you've cracked a couple, alright. Which would explain the punctured lung. As for the wound on your back, may I have a look?" Petra blinked at him before looking over to the other men huddled in the carriage. Turning her unimpressed look back to Levi, he was already denying the man the permission, shaking his head once.
"She'll be fine until we get back, where the doctor can check her - in private," he stared at the men pointedly and the paramedic nodded.
"Ok then. Well, I can't really do anything about your ribs here. So, just sit tight, ok?" He smiled easily at her. She felt bad for being so uncharacteristically short and unhelpful, but she was too damn tired, sore and worried to being focused on herself.
"So... Can I ask - what exactly happened that you all ended up like this?" He hesitantly asked. Petra stared at him for a few seconds, images flashing through her mind before shaking her head.
"I.. Ugh... It's not something I really want to talk about," she looked down, playing with a seam on her cape.
"She must have been so strong, to take down the Levi squad," another man stated, his face pale and drawn, clearly not used to this level of violence and loss. Petra felt a tug of pride, but it was vastly overwhelmed by several other vying emotions. Not good ones, either.
"Well... She snuck up on us in human form. Sent a signal to call us to her. She... We didn't even see her take Günter out," Petra bit the inside of her cheek, trying to stop the slew of emotions threatening to break forth.
"Then what?" The pale faced man asked softly, looking terrified still but like he needed to know.
With a sigh, Petra continued.
"She went Titan again, trying to lure Eren away. We told him to run, that we had it. Eld led a faux attack and Aurou and myself managed to blind her. You probably know this already, Captain, but she has highly advanced defensive skills," she glanced at Levi who nodded, listening intently to her words despite himself, "She was protecting her neck, so we just started... Hacking at her arms. Eventually the muscles gave out and Eld went in for the kill."
Petra was reliving it in her head now, she could see the moment that big blue eye rounded on them, nearly taking Eld away, too.
"She somehow managed to regenerate one eye... She nearly swallowed Eld, he just missed her. She backhanded him and he hit that tree. Then she... I don't know, when she looked at me... I just.. I'm sorry, Captain, I lost my nerve," she looked at him with a sorrowful expression, and Levi felt a wave of shock that that was what she was thinking about, letting him down. He felt a strong need to comfort her, to tell her it was ok, but he held his tongue as she continued.
"She would have crushed me with her foot, but Aurou managed to knock me out of the way. But then, she grabbed his cables and slung us into the forest. That's how we got hurt - he broke his wrist and one of our swords caught my back. It took us nearly half an hour to walk back."
"A half hour? She threw you that far?" The medic frowned, sitting back on his heels. Petra realised the whole carriage was looking at her, minus the driver. Levi was frowning at the floor, his mouth pulled down at the edges.
She suddenly felt very awkward and exposed, like telling them of her most awful moment in life was showing a big, ugly wound, her weakness and failure on full display.
"Yeah. So.. That's what happened," she finished abruptly. She snapped the mood from the carriage, looking down at her feet as the men sensed her unhappiness and left her alone. The medic turned to check Eld once more, the soldiers turn into talk with the driver.
Petra felt her cheeks burn with emotions and wanted to leap from the back of the carriage and run and hide. Why did she feel the need to blurt that out?
Suddenly, subtly, Levi reached over and grasped her hand gently, giving her fingers a squeeze.
"Happens to us all. You can't blame yourself for having a natural reaction," he muttered quietly, so it was between only him and her. Her pulse seemed to exaggerate in that hand and Petra didn't dare move, shocked at the gesture from her Captain, especially in front of these soldiers, not that they were looking.
"I should have been stronger," she whispered, hot, wetness invading her eyes. She refused to let them fall, for if she did now, she knew they wouldn't stop.
"Petra, stop. The three of you took her on after losing Günter, you sent Eren to safety. You followed you orders. That's all I ask of you," he said firmly, the two of them still staring straight ahead.
With a nod, Petra managed to bite back the tears, Levi's words soothing some of the ragged emotion in her.
How could he forgive her so easily? She'd been a coward and could have got Aurou killed because of that. Yet, here he was, hand gripping hers, showing her he still supported her as one of his team.
That small gesture was one that would forever be dear to her, a spot of light in the dark times submerging her.
With a slightly lighter heart, she sat and waited for this nightmare to be over, Levi's hand resting on hers and keeping her from the dark.
I realise I didn't go back yet to the point where she flashed back from... But this ended up way longer than expected! So it'll be the start off point for chapter two!
Hope you enjoyed
God bless! :)