VERLOREN
Shingeki no Kyojin/Attack on Titan fanfiction
Livestock complacency? False prosperity?
Give us the freedom of starving wolves!
chapter two
In the Cold Light of Day
year 847 | winter | two years later
We never expected to live through the first winter. Yet, here we are, looking at the first snowfall of our third winter in isolation. Hjördís smiled proudly as she gazed out over the snow covered landscape that stretched out infinitely away from the wall, glowing in the cold light of the winter morning.
Though the district had trouble during their first winter with several of the old and sick dying from illness due to their lack of medicine, nobody starved, though they came close. Now they had a farm that took up almost a third of the district, planted with wheat, potatoes, and whatever other fruits and vegetables they were able to find seed for. Their livestock were thriving as well, mostly cows, sheep, and chickens for their milk, wool, and eggs. Most of the districts meat came from fish in the river or the wildlife that thrived in the forests outside the back gate; deer, game birds, rabbit, and boar. Thankfully, the soldiers found themselves hunting rabbits more often than titans when they jumped over the wall.
Today, however, Hjördís and her men were going on a more dangerous hunt.
Hjördís looked down at a list of supplies in her hand, rechecking her numbers for the last time. Behind her, men and women were saddling horses and checking the supply carts. Spare horses were tied to the back of the carts once everything was loaded and accounted for. Even with the safety of being on top of the wall granted, riding horses was preferable to walking, especially with the distance they were looking to cover.
"Are you sure there's no way to persuade you from going?" asked the approaching Jeong Ji, her arm cradled in a sling.
"I've already told you, and the others, no many times already today, Jeong Ji." She looked up from her papers to give the oriental woman a dry smirk. "With you injured, Sotiris and Boris are going to have to pull double duty. This leaves me to lead the expedition." She rolled up the list and tucked it into her jacket pocket.
The smaller woman raised and eyebrow. "Then who's going to be in command?"
"Why you of course!" Hjördís exclaimed, patting Jeong Ji on the back. "Can't trust the men to make all the important decisions after all."
Jeong Ji rolled her eyes as she shifted away from the taller woman's hand. "You've got that right. It's because of the bear that I got injured in the first place." She groaned as she flexed the fingers of her bound hand. "It's terrible not being able to fly."
Hjördís nodded and drooped her head; she felt partly at fault. She had been gone on an expedition like this one, and had left Boris in charge. As her senior, she had thought him more than qualified. Unfortunately, a titan attacked while Jeong Ji and her regiment were out hunting. As they had many times before, Jeong Ji coordinated her regiment's strategies with Boris and his men with the cannons on the wall. This time, however, Boris misheard the relay from Cadet Chastain and shouted the wrong directions to the men on the cannons, this resulted in the cannon sailing off mark and knocking Jeong Ji and several of her men out of the sky. They were able to take out the titan, but the regiment was now short several men, including its captain, with severe injuries but, thankfully, no casualties.
In order to treat their injuries, the medics were forced to dig into the emergency supplies. They had plaster aplenty to bind broken bones, but they were low on medicine to treat infection and dull pain.
"That's why we have to go," Hjördís said more to herself than to Jeong Ji. She lifted her head and gave the oriental woman a confident smile. "But we shouldn't be gone too long. The men said they could see the front gates of Kilpi Järvi from the last outpost they built."
Jeong Ji still frowned, placing her good hand on her slender hip and looking disapprovingly up at her commander. "And what are you going to do if you find people there?"
Hjördís just continued to smile at her. "If there are people still there, hopefully we can open up trade with then, put people in the outposts to secure the wall, and have them to aid us if something happens here. " Shrugging, she turns and walks to her horse, a dun mare that would have looked more comfortable pulling a plow, but was the perfect size to carry the statuesque Commander of Riesentöter. "We'll reach the last outpost in a week, depending on the weather," she continued as she tightened the saddle and adjusted the saddlebags. "It could take us another week to finish the remaining ramps needed to reach the district." With a shrug and crooked smile, Hjördís turned back to the smaller woman, "We'll be gone at least a month, depending on what we find and the weather."
With small disgruntled noise, Jeong Ji looked away from her commander, out over the snow covered plains that stretched away from the wall. "You should have waited until spring."
Hjördís followed her gaze and sighed, "Probably, but we need the medicine now." She rubbed her brow as her eyes strained against the glare from the snow. "And with Shiganshina compromised and full of titans, its too dangerous to scavenge for it there. And what we were able to get has been used up."
With her lips pursed, the oriental woman thought for a moment then looks up at Hjördís. "Were we able to get supplies from Dr. Yeager's home?"
"Unfortunately, no," Hjördís replied as she shook her head. "His home was crushed by debris, and we were unable to find a way inside what was left before titans descended upon us. What was there was probably destroyed along with the house anyways. It's too dangerous to go back."
"You said the men could see the gates of district. Was it..?" Jeong Ji looked afraid to finish her question.
"The inner gate was intact." Hjördís leaned against her horse with a deep frown. "But the outer gate could have been destroyed. We won't know until we get there."
Giving her a sad smile, Jeong Ji walked up to Hjördís, grabbing one of her hands with her good one. "You have a long trip ahead of you, don't worry so much until you get there."
Hjördís returned her smile, a small amount of color coming to her cheeks, as she squeezed her friend's hand. "I'll try not to."
"Commander, we're ready to go!" came the cry from down the line.
Letting out a deep breath, Hjördís straightened up. With a worried smile, she looked down at her regiment captain. "Well, I guess it's time to go then." Hesitantly, after looking around, she brought a hand up and caressed the smaller woman's cheek. "While I'm gone..."
"Don't you dare worry about us, or me. We'll be just fine," Jeong Ji interrupted her. Letting go of Hjördís's hand, she grabbed the front of the taller woman's shirt and pulled her down to look her in the eye. "You just come back safe to me." And with that she placed a kiss on her cheek before letting her go. "I don't care how much bigger than me you are, if you wind up dead, I'll kick your ass." After giving the stunned Hjördís a light punch in the side, Jeong Ji turned to walk down the wall toward the lift.
Hjördís watched her go with a confused, but happy, grin on her lips as she gingerly pressed her fingers to the spot Jeong Ji's lips had touched. Letting out a small chuckle, her face red, she turned to her horse, hiding her face in his neck as she composed herself. Last thing she wanted was for her men to see her swooning and giggling like an infatuated teenager.
"Commander, we should get going before the sun gets any higher."
Clearing her throat, Hjördís turned to face the one who spoke. "Yes, Alya, we'll be heading out immediately," Hjördís replied to the Expedition Captain, a tall woman who was easily identified by red and gold hijab she wore.
"Shall I give the orders, then?"
"Yes, you may." Hjördís nodded as she swung up onto the saddle of her house.
"Mount up, men, we're heading out!" Alya shouted the orders as she turned her horse down the line, her voice ringing loud in the morning air despite her frail frame.
Hjördís guided her horse to follow, the big plow having more trouble pushing through the line than Alya's much smaller horse. Everyone was mounted and ready by the time Hjördís took her place at the head of the line with Alya.
"Would you like to give the order, Commander?" The olive skinned woman asked her, with a smirk on her lips.
Hjördís bowed to her as low as her seat provided. "It would be my pleasure." Straightening in the saddle, she raised her right hand high. "Get ready men! Let's move out!" She shouted the order and dropped her arm sharply, and the platoon moved forward, following the wall west and north to Kilpi Järvi.
The icy, frozen conditions slowed down the expedition to a crawl. With only horses, they might have been able to make faster time, but with the oxen drawn carts of supplies and building materials for the ramps, they had to take it slower. However, other than the weather, they didn't run into any problems, until they were a few days away from their target.
That night found Hjördís sitting alone at a low burning fire, her only company was her horse and the night sky above. While there were soldiers on watch, they were too busy keeping an eye out for trouble to pay any attention to their thoughtful commander. Beyond the sounds of sleeping people, horses, and cattle, Hjördís could hear the loud echoing footsteps of the few titans that had been drawn in by their presence. It was an unnerving sound, but, with the fifty feet of wall between her and them, she was able to remain calm.
Hjördís was dozing off when she heard the scuffling of boots approaching her. She remained still and kept her eyes closed until a soft hand touched her shoulder. She opened her eyes to find Alya crouched beside her, the woman's dark face pinched with worry. "Wha-" Hjördís opened her mouth to speak, but stopped when Alya shook her head. The captain then stood up and motioned for Hjördís to follow her. Hjördís did just that, moving as quietly as she could so as not to wake those still sleeping.
It wasn't until they had left the ring of light from the farthest fire that Alya spoke. "Haluk says that something is coming."
"Did...did he say what it was?" The commander asked, worry and fear causing her to stutter.
Alya shook her head, "He said he didn't know." She tapped her nose, "He says it smells like a titan...but different."
Memories of the horned titan from two years ago flashed through her mind as they continued down the wall in the dark. A few moments later down the wall, Hjördís spotted four silhouettes kneeling on the edge of the wall. When they got closer, she was able to recognize Haluk and three of Alya's elite scouts. As they approached, tall and dark Haluk turned and signaled for them to duck down and come closer.
"Do we know anything more, Haluk?" Alya asked in a hushed tone as she knelt down beside her scout.
Haluk shook his said, "Nothing yet, Captain. I sent Cande out to scout the area below." He turned his head to gaze down the wall. "She should be back soon."
Soon the whistling of wires announced the return of Cande. Hjördís knew her to be calm even under pressure, but the woman was breathing heavily and had the most disturbed look on her dark face. "Captain. Commander," she said in a hushed tone and crouched down with everyone.
"Did you find anything, Cande?"
"Yes, Commander. It's a titan, just like Haluk says...but," she hesitated, taking a deep breath.
"But what, Cande?"
Everyone had turned to look at the scout now, different degrees of curiosity and fear. Hjördís was sure they were all thinking that same as her; they hadn't seen the horned titan for two years, but it was hard to forget.
"It-its different," Cande spoke softly, terror apparent in her shaky voice. "Different even from the one two years ag-"
"Hush!" Haluk whispered sharply, cutting off Cande's report. Everyone's gaze turned to him. "It's coming."
With that, everyone quieted and listened. It was soft, but they could hear the definite booming footsteps of a titan, coming from the base of the wall beneath them. A few moments later the footsteps stopped and were quickly followed by the sound of crumbling stone and faint vibrations beneath their feet. Is it...climbing the wall? Different indeed, Hjördís thought to herself, keeping herself calm and still to hear the continued sound. Louder and louder they came, the vibrations heavier and heavier. Hjördís signaled the command to hide in shadow of the wall segment beside them; she wanted to see this...different titan.
She didn't have to wait long. When the vibrations were at their loudest, a large hairy hand suddenly grabbed the top of the wall, not far from where they were hiding. It was followed quickly by its large body. It was different from anything they'd seen before, this titan, with its body mostly covered with dark fur like an animal. The titan's head was small compared to its robust torso and its arms were incredibly long. Everyone was holding their breath as the beastly titan stood just feet from them. Thankfully, it didn't seem to sense their presence as it began climbing it's way down the other side of the wall without even looking their way.
Nobody dared to speak until they could no longer feel the vibrations coming up the wall. Hjördís was the first speak and all she said was a simple command that everyone was more than willing to follow. "Let's head back to camp." They made there way back quickly, as quietly as they had come, everyone busy with their own thoughts and fears. First the horned titan, now this...beast titan? I've seen many different kinds of abnormals, but these were...different. She could think of no better word for them, they were different from anything she'd ever seen before or ever heard about. They knew so little about the titans as it was, but these titans changed all that.
Things had changed since the fall of Wall Maria, Hjördís didn't yet know how much.
A few mornings later, Hjördís found herself looking at the inner gate and walls of Kilpi Järvi, and the lakes that gave the district its name. Kilpi Järvi, "Shield Lake," named such because of the two lakes that lay outside the districts inner and outer gates. These lakes had proven useful in holding back titans from the districts walls, either by slowing them down and making them vulnerable against cannon fire and being a useful barrier for those titans that wouldn't step foot into it. Hjördís found herself hoping that the lakes had done their job and kept the district safe. Even if there were no people there, the district should have plenty of supplies for Riesentöter and her people. In a day or two, she would have her answer.
The men were already hard at work, split into four teams. Two teams worked on building the ramps that would allow them to get the carts and horses to the district. The third team took care of the animals and set up camp, while the fourth was on patrol and hunted in the trees below for game. The longer they could extend their rations the better, and everyone was tired of bread and cheese. Even rabbit would be an improvement. Hjördís aided the first and second teams in building the ramps, her tall muscular form useful for carrying and placing the heavy stone blocks. She enjoyed the heavy labor; as Commander of Riesentöter's garrison forces, she usually spent most of her days at her desk or commanding from afar, even after the wall fell. Hjördís found herself longing for her days as a regiment captain or even as a cadet, she preferred to be in the action, to shed tears, sweat, and blood along with the men and women she commanded.
Three days after construction began, the expedition received a clear sign that Kilpi Järvi wasn't as abandoned as they had feared it would be.
Hjördís was sliding a block into place when she heard a familiar voice call from behind her.
"Now you are the last person I ever expected to see this far north."
With a gasp of recognition Hjördís turned to see a very familiar figure standing at the edge of the wall behind her. "Brynjar? Is that you?"
Giving a loud laugh, the large blonde, blue eyed man walked forward and pulled her into an embrace. "Who else would it be, cousin? I'm a little short to be a titan."
"I don't know, you two are titans in your own right," came the snarky reply from a short, dark skinned woman who walked around Brynjar's giant form.
"Adaeze!" Hjördís pulled the woman into an embrace, lifting her off the ground. "I can't believe you're both alive!" She exclaimed after releasing the shorter woman.
At this point, everyone of the expedition had stopped what they were doing to stare at the newcomers.
"Care to introduce us, Hjördís?" Alya asked as she came foreward, holding her hand out to Brynjar and Adaeze.
"Of course," Hjördís replied with a smile. "Alya this is my cousin, Brynjar Snorrisson, Commander of Kilpi Järvi's Garrison, and his wife, Regiment Captain Adaeze. Brynjar, Adaeze, this is Alya Saab, Captain of the Riesentöter Expedition Troop."
The three of them shook hands and shared pleasantries, before Bryjar turned back to his cousin. "I have to say, cousin, I'm glad that your district is living up to its name and reputation. It's not a surprise that you and your people would survive." He gave a hearty laugh, though there was a touch of sadness to it. "But where are my manners? You and you men must be exhausted. Even traveling along the wall, it must have been a long trip." Wrapping an arm around Hjördís' shoulders, he smiled warmly at her. "You and yours will dine with us tonight and rest. I shall send some men up to help your people finish this project you have going, and we'll get your horses back on the ground where they belong."
"That would be much appreciated, Brynjar. But I didn't come just to dine with you," Hjördís said with a serious tone, her smile gone from her face. "I have plans and ideas to share with you. As well as questions that you might be able to help me answer."
"Of course, Hjördís. Whatever I can do to help," Brynjar nodded as he let go of her. "Shall we continue this discussion in my office?"
After leaving orders with Alya and the expedtion, Hjördís followed her cousin and his wife down the wall to the district, a feeling of joy in her heart. There was a greater chance of survival with the help of Brynjar and Kilpi Järvi. They weren't alone.
A week had passed since Hjördís and Alya's expedition had left. In that time, Jeong Ji's arm had healed well, almost as good as it was before. She was very happy to be 'flying' again, spending as much time practicing with her 3DM gear as possible when she wasn't swamped with her duties as Hjördís' temporary replacement. She was staring at a pile of said work as the sun was setting over Riesentöter, the last warm rays of the sun filtering in through the windows behind her.
You'd think that after the wall fell we wouldn't have need for paper work anymore. I guess some things never change, Jeong Ji thought with a sigh, pulling a sheet of paper from the top of the pile; a request to increase rations. From the date on the letter, it looked to be one that Hjördís had been ignoring for a while. Jeong figured she should probably do the same. When the room grew too dark for her to read without candlelight, Jeong Ji gathered her 3DM gear and left the office, deciding to join her regiment in their nightly hunt.
Jeong Ji's hunters had taken up hunting at night, which proved to be far safer than hunting in the day. It was less likely for her men to run into titans during the night, and, even if they did, the titan would most likely be too lethargic to give much of a chase. There were exceptions to every rule of course, but they were safe from the majority. At first the hunters had objected to her joining them, feeling that it would be a great loss to the district if something were to happen to her. But she eventually won them over and it became routine.
When Jeong Ji arrived at the top of the wall, the hunters were already there. Everyone was prepping their gear and hunting equipment. Along with their blades, every hunter was armed with a bow and a quiver of arrows. While a gun would ensure an easier, quicker kill, the bow was almost silent and less likely to attract titan attention. The less attention they drew, the better.
"Good evening, Captain," the always cheerful Lyse said with a wide smile as she handed Jeong Ji her bow.
Jeong Ji's only reply was a tired smile as she took the bow from Lyse. The pale girl was the only one to speak as they all got ready and then, one by one, they all dropped off the wall and headed to different parts of the forest. Jeong Ji was the last one to drop off the wall, double checking the makeshift map posted to see where the day hunters and scouts of Boris' regiment had spotted titans during the day, different colored pins and strings marking what type and how big. It wasn't the most reliable system, but it helped everyone stay aware and prepared. All the pins today, all five of them, were red, marking normal titans; any black would have marked abnormals, just as their flares do. There were strings tied to each pin, the colors detailing the size class of that titan; in this case, three of strings were yellow, which meant they were all three to six meters. There was one orange, a seven meter, and one red, a fifteen meter. Looking over the map, Jeong Ji was relieved to find that most of the marks were placed out in the fields, only one, the fifteen meter, was in the forest. Not much of a danger, it would be easy to spot and easy avoid there. After quickly memorizing the coordinates of each pin, she followed the others over the wall, maneuvering into the forest.
The forest was quiet, the only noises to be heard were the soft song of the wind, the rustling of leaves, and the whistling and whirling of Jeong Ji's own 3DM gear. Though she was armed with a bow and arrows, Jeong Ji planned to do very little hunting. She only wanted time to think without the pressures of duty crushing down on her. However, so she wouldn't be entirely useless, she dedicated herself to scouting for titans, starting at the edges of the forest then following a spiraling path to the center.
Though Jeong Ji had planned to think about the running of the district, the proposals she had looked over, and the reports from the scouts, her thoughts instantly turned to the wayward expedition and, most significantly, Hjördís. Jeong Ji and Hjördís had known each other for years, went through training and rose through the ranks together. When Hjördís was recruited to the Garrison of Riesentöter, Jeong Ji was quick to follow. They were strong friends and...maybe even more. Neither of them remember how it started, but after coming to Riesentöter, they found themselves in a more romantic mindset, flirting softly, and enjoying each other's company whenever possible, even when they had nothing to say. However, before, the two of them had only ever held hands in secret; Jeong Ji placing a kiss on the blond giant's cheek in public had been an incredibly bold move. She blushed now at the memory of it, and chuckled when she remembered the look on the usually incredibly calm commander's face. She was going to have to do such bold things more often.
When something fell out of the trees at her, Jeong Ji was forced to turn her mind from those joyous thoughts and face the horror of what was to come.
Jeong Ji dodged the falling branch with ease only to find herself face to face with something horrific. A titan was clinging to the tree before her and she had no time to escape out of reach before it grabbed her. Only her legs were caught, which was good for Jeong Ji as she was able to hack at the titan's fingers, but even though she was able to slice off one of it's fingers, the titan's grip didn't weaken, nor did the titan show any signs of pain. Determined to get free, she continued to hack at her captors fingers until the titan made a noise. It sounded like...laughter? It was harsh and crackly, but she couldn't think of what else it could be. Confused and disturbed, Jeong Ji looked at the titan's face for the first time. What she saw made her heart sink. It had been two years, but she remembered that face well, and the horns that rose above the titan's head proved only proved it. The horned titan was laughing at her, she was sure of it. It continued to laugh at her even as it then squeezed her legs.
The pain was incredible. Jeong Ji could hear her own bones breaking, the pops and cracks audible over the titan's laughter. Despite the pain, all Jeong Ji could do was stare into the titan's eyes. From corner to corner, they were pure black like a raven's eye. Deep, soulless, empty, and yet so full of malice that Jeong Ji felt that she was staring into the eyes of death itself.
"Captain!" Lyse cried as she and her twin swooped in to save the trapped captain. She and Ren maneuvered in close to the horned titan's face, trying to swipe at its eyes, hoping to at least distract it, at most blind it.
Their voices helped Jeong Ji shake out of her thrall and regain a rational mind. Thinking quickly and with a clearer mind, Jeong Ji aimed her handgrips and fired the 3DM grapple hooks at the titan's eyes. For the first time, the titan showed pain as it reeled and dropped her to try to pull the hooks from its eyes. The small woman used the momentum of her fall to swing up into the branches of a distant trees, only retracting the wires after she had was sitting on a solid branch. With her out of the titan's grip, the twins retreated and maneuvered to her.
"Captain, are you alright?" Ren asked, his voice shaky as he ran to her where she sat. Not far from them, his twin, Lyse was firing a signal flare; black.
"No," Jeong Ji replied, her voice shaky with pain and draining adrenaline. The pain of her broken legs was getting to her, and was hard to fight back. "It...broke my legs." Then the tears came.
Ren stared at her with mouth agape. Then, swallowing, he called to his sister. "Lyse! Help me pick her up. We've got to get her back to the wall." Only giving a nod, Lyse then fired a blue flare before hurrying over to them.
Below them, the horned titan was quickly retreating.
Author's Notes:
Well, I finally did it. Here's another chapter. Not quite as long as the first, but still pretty long hehe. Well I hope you all enjoy this chapter as much as you did the last one =)
More info for the story!
Kilpi Järvi:
"Shield Lake"
•Northern District of Wall Maria
•Outside it's outer gate lays a large lake, Suojata ("to shield"), that shields the walls from titans.
•Outside it's inner gate is another smaller lake, Miekka ("sword"). Beyond the lake are the rugged foothills of the Punainen ("red") Moutains range.
Remember, all information on the other districts of Wall Maria, which are currently unnamed in the official series, are completely made up by me only for the purpose of this story.
