A/N: Lost my USB for all my works, so I'm working on some special stories! Yay! Oh and dealing with some health stuff, so don't expect quick updates (not like I was quick before).
Disclaimer: I don't own AOT/SNK nor it's characters. So enjoy. Or not. I don't know. Read, build vocabulary or something.
Chapter I
Snow in the small region of Shiganshina fell heavily in the winter. So much so, that little nine-year old Armin could barely walk through it. Yet it was around that time when he first met her, the girl that captivated and frightened him so.
Coming down with a strange disease, his grandfather could not get up for his early morning errands. Struck with a high fever and disturbed with coughing fits, Armin rushed to get the chores done, stopping every once on a while to check on his grandfather's condition. It took a little longer than it should have and it worried him, but he managed to get through them. All he had left was to run down into the marketplace and get some ingrediants for medicine and food. The poor boy was apprehensive to leave the ailing man's side, but the medicine cabinets were bare and there was nothing for him to make for his grandfather to eat easily.
He grabbed a red coat hanging on a coat rack and secured the hood over his head. It was an old thing, with different shades of red patched into it, but it worked well in protecting him from the cold. He quickly put on his heavy boots before grabbing an old, weary basket from the table and then securing a thin leather bag to his belt. Hurrying back upstairs, he went to check on his grandfather once more.
"I'll be back soon, Granfather." Armin murmured solftly. He replaced the warm, damp rag covering the old man's head with a new, cooler one before he stood up to leave.
And then he was out, rushing into the heavy and cold snow so as to get the unpleasant first steps over and done with. He shivered and huffed from the freezing weight pulling down at his feet. He shuffled further ahead, willing his frail body to become accustomed to the low temperature so he could come back quickly with the medicine his grandfather needed.
Countless barren trees surrounded the Arlert's small home and the way to town was lengthy with nothing but wilderness surrounding him as he walked. However, the animals were hardly something for Armin to be afriad of. In all the years they lived there, only deer and moose passed through the winding road. It was rare, but sometimes he'd catch a glimpse of their hide or a flick of their tails far in the distance, some watching while others carried on searching for food. He never minded them and they never minded him; he's seen all of the animals that lived in this area. Foxes and hares, sleeping white owls, the passing deer, and only once has he seen a bear awoken a bit too early from his hibernation.
Never had he encountered any real danger with any of these creatures and he knew how to avoid them should something be amiss, but nothing could ever prepare him for what was soon to come.
It had only been a few minutes into the walk down from his home when he had felt eyes on him. He swiftly turned his head to the side of him, looking out at the distance for whatever beast had set its sight on him. There was nothing. He stared for a while, his normally gentle blue eyes now hardened with caution. They pierced through thin gaps of branches and peered into faint figures of hiding prey, but there were no signs of any sort of predator. The boy wasn't strong physically, by any means, but he knew how to look for signs of danger.
And yet, there was nothing. Only quiet gusts of air flowing gently through his hood and strands of his hair were all that could be heard. There was nothing else to be seen aside from the trees and their stretching branches; no hide or tail of any sort of animal he's known.
Still, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched. Chills not at all from the cold, traveled through his spine and the hairs at the back of his neck rose straight up. Puffs of air escaped him as he continued down into the road, his eyes still scanning for any movement or even a footprint, yet there remained nothing. The muffled crunching of his steps were all he could hear, no chirps from passing birds or squeaks of crawling rodents reached him; everything was silent and it disturbed him.
Bandits and thieves were uncommon, but he couldn't rule out the possibilities. Yet, despite that fact, he did't feel to be in any immediate danger. To further rule out that it couldn't be one, he was just a child. It made no sense for an adult to be wary of a mere boy.
A part of him, the childish, inquisitive part, actually wanted to investigate the hidden creature watching him. He wouldn't dare go astray from the road, but he wouldn't deny that he was curious as to who or what was watching him. He hadn't a clue from which direction it was coming from, but as he walked along, he kept searching. He looked past the trees and peeked up into their branches, but there was nothing in sight. At one point he even called out with a timid, "Hello?"
In the end though, it didn't seem to matter. Nothing stood out of place, the snow was left undisturbed, except for his own footprints and there was no answer to his call. He took another glance at the forest, pausing before the entrance to town. He listened once again, concentrating on the forest rather than the loud businesses of people ahead.
Throughout his entire trek, from his house all the way towards town, he felt those cold eyes on him. He could not decipher in which direction it was coming from, as if it were glancing at him from every which way. They felt curious, distant, and definitely unnerving. Yet the moment he was surrounded by bustling people, they were gone. Confused and maybe a little disappointed, Armin went on ahead to his tasks.
His body had instinctively relaxed, tense muscles loosened their taut pull and a tired breath left him. No animal aside from that lumbering bear had made him so anxious and wary in his small life. Worry began to seep in him. What if whatever was watching him really was a predator of some sort? It could have been waiting to catch him off guard when he wasn't looking and listening. The thought had his curiosity vanish and replaced with anxiety.
Now free of leers, Armin quickly rushed to the nearest herbal store, eager to get his supplies and return to his grandfather's side.
"Hello, Mrs. Jaeger." he greeted as he quickly entered the small shop. A woman crushing and mixing plants paused in her work to look up at her guest.
"Hello, Armin. Did you come to visit Eren again?" she asked with a kind smile. Armin happily returned it before answering, his nerves easing up a bit.
"Not today, I'm actually here to pick up some herbs and medicine for my grandfather."
A worried, but knowing look overcame her as she glanced down check her work. "My, it seems a lot of people have been coming down with something. Grisha has been visiting a lot of patients lately and so far, a majority of them have been troubled with unusually high fevers and coughs. Would that be what your grandfather has?"
The boy frowned at her words feeling a sense of dread sink his heart. "Mm-hm." he mumbled, a little afraid of what she would say.
She nodded in understanding and resumed mixing and pouring the powdered substances into small papers and vials. "I'll give you something. I've heard that when the fever breaks, a new symptom may appear that's very strange. I've no idea what it is, but I'm sure if you give your grandfather this medicine, he'll be okay. It's not very powerful, but it should give him some peaceful rest for a while, at least until my husband comes to pay him a visit." She reached behind her to take out a small glass bottle. "Pour a teaspoon of this in his tea and it should calm his cough enough for him to rest. And here, this ointment should help as well."
She took his hand and placed a small, circular container. "It'll relieve any pain or discomfort, but just by a little bit. It may have a strong smell, but it should work. These small things won't cure the illness, but it'll help keep him from getting any worse just until my husband comes around." She offered him an affectionate smile before turning back to her collection of plants.
"Thank you ma'am! Um, how much do I owe you?" he asked shyly as he carefully placed them both into his basket.
Mrs. Jaeger only giggled at him as she picked out leaves and mixtures to grind and crush into powder and liquids. "It's quite alright, dear."
Armin raised an eyebrow, keeping his hand paused at his small bag fastened at his hip. "A-are you sure, I have enough money." He pulled at the small bag's string to double check the coins.
"I'm sure." she dismissed him with a playful wave of her hand.
He didn't press any further and was about to take his leave, but abruptly stopped himself. "Oh, I do have a question though, if you don't mind me asking?"
Carla paused again, meeting Armin's inquisitive gaze with her own patient one. "Yes?"
"H-has there been any strange sightings around here, say of a predator or something of the sort?"
Resuming her business, Carla began to think, not at all finding his question odd. Plenty of animals would cause some problems during winter, however small they may be."Well, bears are sometimes an odd occurrence now and then. Wild boars are also a problem I suppose with the farms in the nearby mountainous areas."
What he felt back in the forest was definitely not a bear and he would've seen the wild boars. "I'm sure it wasn't any of those." he sighed as he scratched his neck awkwardly.
"Oh? Did you see something strange on your way over?" she asked, her expression becoming concerned.
"Uh, well I didn't see anything really. Just a nervous feeling I suppose."
She returned to her work, but spoke as she worked. "Now Armin, you should know that animals aren't the only creatures to attack people. You ought to have something on you for self defense should something happen. Mr. Arlert is becoming too old to fight off beasts and with home so far from town, I can't help but worry for you boys sometimes. Many awful things can happen in those deserted places."
Armin smiled at her concern and nodded. "I'll be sure to be careful, ma'am. But until now, I've never had to feel so unnerved of the forests, perhaps something has moved in? A wolf maybe?" he wondered out loud, but his words seemed unbelievable as there have hardly been any sightings of the beasts reported. No paw prints or droppings nor song or snarl of them have been seen or heard in the days and nights of the forests.
"Nonsense child. No such creatures exist here."
He blinked at her words and began to wonder about it. "They don't exist?" he asked. "I mean sure, no one has seen one here of course, but how can you be sure they don't exist?"
The woman giggled at Armin's inquiry. "Wolves do exist, but these ones are far too small and shy to ever set a foot close to humans. What I was actually referring to is something a lot bigger than a normal overgrown dog."
Becoming more intrigued, Armin sat himself down in one of her seats placed out for customers. "What do you mean?" he asked again, his curiosity piqued as he watched her move about, gathering this and that before returning to her place.
"Wolves that have the abilty to turn human, lycanthropes. Hundreds and hundreds of years ago, humanity had been plagued with these demons. They'd turn into these large beasts, some even towering over barnhouses. They were wolves with a taste for humans and many of them stalked their victims, hiding in the guise of a human itself. They were all killed long before you and I, perhaps even before my grandparents, but I do recall an old man once saying that they never died out."
"Oh?"
She nodded. "He claimed that some of these creatures had become smitten with the humans they'd meet. Humans that they had planned to devour. At the time, I didn't really pay that man much thought; nobody did. After all, there hadn't been any reports of the beasts."
"Do you think there may be decendants of these lycanthropes, then?"
Carla let out a short chuckle. "I should hope not, dear. Wolves by themselves are so aggressive. I simply can't imagine a lycanthrope of all things to fall in love with its food."
Armin began to wonder about that, but soon came to realize that his time was running short. "I don't know what it was I felt wandering through the forests, but I suppose it couldn't be a wolf in any case. I would've seen or heard it." He sighed, wondering if he'd catch whomever or whatever it was watching him through the trees and snow. "I appreciate your time time, Mrs. Jaeger and thank you for the medicine!" The blond quickly leapt off his seat and rushed on over to the door.
"I'll be sure to repay you for the medicine later!" he called out with a parting wave before slipping out. "And please tell your husband and Eren I say hi!"
"I will." Carla smiled having enjoyed the young boy's visit and carried on with her business. "I do wonder though..." she mused to herslef, shaking her head. "That boy should really carry something with him though." she sighed.
It hadn't taken Armin long to gather the rest of what he set out to do. Two freshly baked loaves of bread were wrapped and tucked into his basket along with stalks of celery, carrots, and other vegetables he would need for supper. He even had enough to buy a bit of meat from the butcher's shop. With his old basket filled to the brim with goods, Armin was in high hopes that his grandfather would feel better in no time.
So caught up in his thoughts was he that the boy had forgotten all about the strange pair of eyes watching him from a distance. The late evening fell soon and it wouldn't be long before night fell. The snow slowly continued to fall, lazy and calm, but it was enough to remind the lad that he had to hurry along the path.
Armin huffed as he tugged the basket's handle further into his tiring arm, his careful eyes watching the color of the sky. So caught up in estimating the time, he barely had any time to catch the faint crunching of fast steps.
A loud, sharp, cold and painful gasp left him as he froze in place, one foot out in front of him.
She was camouflaged so well with her white coat that Armin almost didn't see her coming had it not been for her gleaming, blue eyes. Immediately after their eyes met, the white colored beast stopped in front of him, her eyes staring defiantly at his. It was cold and piercing, and yet Armin recogized the cold glare she was giving him. It was stronger up close and almost heavy compared to when she was hiding further away from him. She had probably caught sight of him and was watching where he was going and it was into town, where food was seemingly abundant. And an easy full course meal was prepared right in front of her.
Cold, nervous sweat began to form all over the boy's face. His hand clutched at his coat as he held the basket close to his chest. The young boy had no idea what he should do standing face to face with a wolf.
He looked at her more carefully then. She was big for a she-wolf. According to his books, males were bulkier and taller than their female counterparts. Now, Armin had never had the privilege of seeing a wolf up close, but he knew this was female. Her head was leveled just a tad bit taller than his own with her paws spread out to stop her sprint and that left enough room to see she wasn't male.
Though she was big and could very easily kill him with a single bite, Armin couldn't help but notice how thin she was. If he moved his head a bit and peered at her side, he would see how pronounced her ribs were and how taut her skin was pulled in and clinging to her frame.
To further prove his wondering thoughts, her tongue fell out of her mouth as she began to quietly pant, bits of drool dripping from her jowls. That short run had tired her some, but it hardly seemed to deter her from approaching the small boy.
He swallowed nervously. This was a very hungry wolf and he was likely going to be her dinner.
Terrified of the looming death, Armin began to think. He thought of abandoning his basket and making a run for it. The lying meant would surely distract her long enough for him to escape, but the snow was thick and there was a possibility she would just chase and pounce on him. She could kill him with little to no effort. So that left him with one, terrifying option. He would have to get past her slowly. It was a long shot, considering this was a wild animal, but it was all he had to work with.
Never taking his eyes off her own piercing ones, he reached inside his basket and pulled out a loaf of bread. Upon seeing the crust peek out from its wrappings, Armin mentally berated himself. He had meant to get out the meat he had stored in a small, separate compartment underneath the bread. Well, it may not be what he was going for, but surely her empty stomach wouldn't complain.
"I-if you're hungry," he gulped nervously as he seemed to feel the temperature fall lower along with the sun. His fingers were becoming numb and his face burned with the biting frost becoming agitated with the growing winds. "Y-you... You can have t-this..."
He slowly began to approach her. The wolf's hungry stare left his shaken gaze and stared longingly at the loaf he held in his palm. He inched closer and she in turn took a step back, her eyes quickly meeting his own with her face scrunching up in a warning snarl.
He flinched at her, but kept on going, softening his voice and urging her to take what he had to offer, hoping desperately she would do no harm. She was far bigger than him, so he kind of wondered what was going through her mind preventing her from attacking. She was starved, hungry for meat obviously, so why hadn't she killed him yet?
Whatever the case, Armin counted himself lucky and tried to seem more friendly or harmless to prove she had nothing to worry about. Mentally cursing himself and praying for what he was about to do, he knelt down. The snow was cold and the light was fading fast. His teeth began to chatter as he tried to pull his coat tighter over him.
"H-here..." he glanced up at her and he was both elated and terrified when he saw her move cautiously towards him. A low growl rumbled past her wet lips as she came closer and closer. The blond boy no longer knew if he was shaking from the cold or from fear as she was a small lick away from his outstretched hand.
He willed himself not to close his eyes as he watched her, afraid she would take his hand along with the bread. She opened up her mouth and before he could even blink she snatched it and quickly gobbled up the loaf with just two large bites. He yelped when he felt her breath ghost over his bare palm and snapped his hand back, the force making him fall onto his butt.
She swallowed the last bit in no time and licked her chops, but he knew that she was far from satisfied. The hunger still lingered in her crystal blue eyes as she stared at him. Armin let out a silent, shuddering breath before he picked himself up and began to move around the large beast. The she-wolf followed him with her gaze and when his back was to her, she moved quickly.
Her ears quirked upwards and she froze when Armin glanced behind to see that she was following him. Armin froze and began to silently panic.
Her head bowed low at his questioning, scared look and then moved back up followed by a sneeze.
"Are you... uh, going to follow me h-home?" he asked quietly. She cocked her head to the side and blinked at him.
She could smell the fear wafting off him in waves and it was making her anxious and jittery, her predatory instincts just waiting for him to run. She opened her mouth in a pant, a cloud of breath ghosting between them and then, she let out a loud bark. Armin jumped at the sound, his chest tightening with the sudden scare as he stumbled and fell over.
Eagerly, she trotted over to him and sniffed at the vegetables peeking from the fallen basket. Frightened that she might eat his grandfather's food and medicine, Armin quickly gathered the basket to his chest and curled his body. "No, no!" he warned, a gentle, shaking hand coming up to stop her from nudging it open.
"Th-this is f-for my gr-grandfather!" he stammered. Dusk was falling over the forest. The winds picked and the snow was falling just a little bit faster. He was cold and it would soon be too dark for him to navigate the faint road in front of him. Shivering and teeth chattering, her pulled his coat tight and shoved the hood over his head to generate as much heat as he could. "I-I h-have to get home and- and give him medicine and food so he can get b-better." he informed.
She was indeed a wolf, a big one at that, but Armin couldn't help but believe that she could understand him in some way.
She grumbled lowly at him, a frightening sound accompanied with her groaning stomach. She became wracked with pains of hunger, but she did not fight him. Instead, to the boy's utter surprise, she followed him, her eyes reflecting whatever light the coming moon granted her. Appearing eerie, but providing necessary sight while the boy in front of her was beginning to stumble over large mounds of snow and bump into trees.
"Over here." a soft, low voice called.
Armin whipped his head back, almost making his hood fall off his head. "W-who's there?" he shouted fearfully. His heart was already hammering away with the mere thought of a hungry wolf stalking him from behind and now he was hearing voices from nowhere.
An annoyed snort made the cape of his coat flutter. "You'll go deeper into the forest that way, the road is over here." This voice was feminine and sounded surprisingly young. Not quite an adult, but also not at all like the teenagers working or fooling around in town. In old tales and legends, many of the old folk warn children not to follow voices from the forest. They ranged from various stories of children being spirited away or kidnapped from beasts and monsters disguising themselves as friends or family, but this sounded nothing like his friend or anyone he knew.
This voice was dull and not at all appealing. It sounded female; young, but perhaps older than himself.
Tired and wanting nothing more than to get home, he decided to take a chance and follow the voice. It was just a few steps to the right until he bumped into something warm and terribly frail. He gasped in fear, he could feel the wolf's ribs protrude from her side easily and he feared he had stepped far too close.
"Follow close or else they'll snatch you right from the shadows." the voice whispered followed by a low growl from the beast beside him.
Confused, he looked into the distant shadows hanging deep in the forest and he could have sworn he saw gleams of several glowing eyes. Too scared to let any sound escape him, Armin kept his shoulder snug against the wolf's side, abandoning all thoughts of caution towards her as they calmly moved along the hidden path.
Darkness had fallen fast and he was becoming more concerned for his grandfather with each second that passed. He had been gone too long and there was no telling how bad the old man's condition may be when he returned.
He tried to pick up his pace, but it was cold and he was practically blind. All he had to rely on to get home was this strange wolf.
"Get on." the voice mumbled, sounding bored and faintly annoyed. Too cold and tired, the boy hastily grabbed onto her shoulder and tugged himself up.
"W-won't I be heavy?"
He couldn't believe it. He was talking to a wolf of all things; an animal. A wild animal.
"Between my jaws, you'd be nothing."
And it was talking back.
"Hold on tight, if you fall they'll tear you to pieces."
"W-who's they?" he whimpered as he settled himself on her back, his legs dangling at her sides and the basket hanging from his arm. He clutched at her fur, his body hugging her, but not at all comfortable in the position he was in.
"I would think you'd know what they are by now."
Armin chose not to acknowledge her answer as she prepared to go off in a sprint.
The ride was terrifying for Armin. The wind bit at his flushed face and her body was hardly comfortable with her bones poking against his own thin frame.
"Mnngh!" he whimpered, burying his face into her fluffy mane as she sprinted faster, harsh pants leaving her gaping mouth.
The minutes it took to get to his cottage felt like hours to the boy as the beast ran. When she at last stopped and he did not respond she growled, loud and terrifying. Armin stammered and apologized, his entire being trembling from both fear and frost. He managed to climb down from her back, but his hands were still clutching her fur.
He could barely see a thing as he blindly felt around for the door. When he did find it, he struggled a bit to open it. Glancing behind, he caught her eerie stare no more than a foot from him. He gulped nervously before deciding to open his mouth.
"W-will you c-come in? I could start a f-fire and I'm about to cook for my grandfather, so..."
The wolf stood there silently for a long moment before slinking over and slipping through the thin gap and into his home.
A shuddering breath left him as he tried to process the fact that he just let a wild animal into his home. Well, an intelligent, talking wild animal.
Shaking his head, he followed after her. He quickly put down the basket onto the table and shuffled through the items to get the medicine. With a quick, cautious glance at the wolf, he then went upstairs to check on his grandfather.
"Grandfather?" he whispered as he quietly made his way to the resting old man.
"Armin..." he sighed, slowly waking up. "You're back." He coughed lightly as he slowly tried to get up.
"How are you feeling? I went by Mrs. Jaeger's herbal shop and she gave me some medicine for you." he whispered as he showed the man the bottles.
A small fit of coughing wracked through his chest, harsh and painful. "Ahhh, I'm sorry son." he moaned as he shakily grabbed onto Armin's hands, feeling them shake from the cold. He sighed as his grandson only shook his head and smiled warmly.
"It's okay, Grandfather. I'm happy to help and I don't want to see you so sick." He gently pulled away to place the medicine onto the nightstand. "I'll make some tea for you and bring you up some soup." He paused as he remembered they had a certain guest over, but the boy wasn't sure he should bring that up now. "Do you want a new rag for your forehead?"
The old man nodded his head before gently easing himself back onto the weary mattress. "That would be nice."
Okay, so he had a big, white wolf to deal with. He wasn't sure how long it would stay, but he knew it definitely wasn't going to be forever. A bit of food and some rest and then maybe it would be well enough to return to the forest and hunt for itself. And hopefully, not go after people. Surely it had a pack to return to.
"Alright, Armin... Just get through this today and then-"
He stopped short on the last step as he stared at the stranger huddled in front of the lit fire place. A girl no more than a child like him, sat on her knees. Her eyes closed and her small hands tending to an unmistakable, large, white tail. Her claw-like nails raked through the fine fur, searching for knots and dirt. Her hair was beautiful, a pale shade of yellow more brilliant than his own darker shade and just a few inches shy of her bare shoulders. But what made him stare was the sight of those familiar pointed, white ears pulled at his general direction.
She had heard him come down, but felt comfortable enough to show herself in such a form.
"What?" she asked. Her eyes had barely opened to spare him a glance before closing and resuming her content work of grooming.
"W-what are y-you doing?" he asked hardly able to voice the real concern of the sight he was seeing.
She sniffed and pointedly ignored him as she continued her cleaning. She pulled her tail closer and promptly opened her mouth to lick at her fur.
A hot blush spread over the boy's face as he felt he shouldn't be looking, but he could hardly do much else.
"Um, I-I mean... Er well, I meant to ask; w-what exactly are you?"
She glared at him from her place, pausing just long enough to answer him. "I'm a wolf. What else could I be?" her voice held venom and he could see a growl was just a mere second away from the way she clenched her jaw. She ignored him again, closing her eyes while minding her tail.
He couldn't believe what he was seeing. This girl answers him, saying she is wolf, but what he saw was a girl with features of a wolf.
For a moment, Armin is unsure of what he should do, isn't sure how he should handle this, but one thing was certain. He sighs, shaky and a bit fearful before he pulls on the coat still wrapped around him.
The girl's ears twitch at the sound of his footsteps coming closer. Annoyed and becoming wary with each step, she opens her eyes to glare at him only to jump when he drapes the red coat over her naked form. Immediately after he drops it on her, he quickly retreats to the kitchen to begin supper, leaving her to fight with the coat becoming tangled all around her.
A furious growl was just about to tear through her throat until she feels the subtle warmth seeping into her bare skin. She blinks, her face stuck in a unamused scowl. Her teeth are peeking past her lips as she glares at the garment, but the warmth is tempting. Even with her fur, the cold is terrible and unforgiving. The fire is enough, but the coat isn't entirely unpleasant. She sniffs a scoff before pushing her bare arms into the sleeves and pulling her tail back to her mouth. She peeks a glance at the shadow dancing around the kitchen and then shoots her sharp eyes upstairs before closing them once more.
A loud growl and a painful churn of her stomach reminds her of the hunger clawing at her, but she remains still and awaits dinner.
A/N: I'm horrible with beginnings, but OH WELL! Anyway, I'm going to try my hand at a darker fic for AOT, but with Fairy Tales! This is Little Red Riding Hood obviously and soon I'll have The Little Mermaid one up by request of Dreams of Featherfaith. As well as a few other surprises that you may or may not enjoy.
If you enjoyed this first chapter, thank you! I've always been a fan of Little Red Riding Hood stories and am a bit disappointed that there aren't any for AruAni when, in my opinion, it works so well for these two especially! It may not be much now, but it'll get there! Hopefully. If you didn't enjoy, well I'm sorry to have wasted your time. Those awaiting chapter updates on other stories, I beg of you to be patient with me. My mind wanders and it sometimes hits Writer Blocks.