A/N: Hey guys! My moot court competition is finally over so as a gift to you guys, here's the next chapter xP Haha, jk, jk. But in all seriousness, thank you so much for all the positive reviews on this story! It's shaping up quite nicely, if you ask me ;)

DISCLAIMER: This is a non profit fanfiction. Shingeki no Kyojin is owned by Hajime Isayama and Kodansha. Please support the official release.

"Captain, will they really be all right?"

Levi did not give any sign that he heard Petra speak to him as they rode on through the forest. Instead, his eyes darted around him near constantly, watching for any sign of Titan movement. Petra sighed and said, "Captain?"

"Lighten up, Petra. Those brats will be fine."

"Oluo, they just watched two of their comrades die. It's only their third expedition. I wouldn't blame them if they're terrified now."

Oluo rolled his eyes at his teammate's concern for the 104th. "They knew what they signed up for when they put on this green cloak. If they can't cope with one of their comrades dying then they shouldn't be part of the Scout Regiment." Petra looked at him in disbelief. "How in the world can you be so cruel?! Don't you have any idea – "

A burst of realization hit her and she smiled slyly. "You're trying to imitate Captain Levi again, aren't you?"

"No, of course not!"

"Oluo, just do us all a favor and shut up."

"Fuck off, Gunther! This doesn't concern you."

"Aww, looks like Oluo is going to cry. Should I get a tissue?"

"Erd, I swear I'm going to take your eye out someday, if a Titan doesn't get to it first."

"All of you - shut the fuck up."

Levi's stern voice cut through the jovial ones of his team. They all looked at him and he continued, "You sound like a bunch of teenagers picking on the lonely kid at school. Get a grip and pay attention to your surroundings. A Titan could attack at any moment." Oluo grinned and said, "Yeah, see? Leave me alone, damn it!" Petra whispered, "You're the lonely kid at school. I don't think that's a compliment." Oluo took a moment for this to run through his head, realizing what Levi meant. He hung his head while Petra giggled, before taking a deep breath and refocusing on the ride. Levi gazed around him warily. 'It's odd – we haven't seen a single Titan since we entered these woods. Are they deliberately staying away? But why would they? It's never stopped them before.' He kept one hand on his blade as he scanned the trees, the leaves swaying gently in the wind.

Suddenly he heard a crash and a roar. Looking above him, he saw a Titan falling straight on top of them. He yelled, "EVERYONE, TO YOUR RIGHT!" He didn't turn around and look as he steered his horse in the aforementioned direction, hearing a large crashing sound a second later. He glanced behind him to see Petra and Erd safe behind him. Stopping, he waited with bated breath as the smoke clouded his vision. However, he heard the neighing of horses, and he breathed a sigh of relief as Oluo and Gunther appeared from the smoke clouds, both riding furiously. Levi started his horse and the party sped away from the Titan.

'Close call….damn it, when will we get out of this blasted forest?', Levi thought as they continued riding.

The sound of the hooves against the ground was rhythmic and monotonous, not changing no matter how long they rode on. Jean stared straight ahead, his eyes occasionally darting to the sides to scout for incoming Titans. Next to him, Armin rode, staring determinedly in front of them. Occasionally, a Titan would stare at them, but it wouldn't move – its eyes would simply follow the pair before they rode off into the distance. However, a couple of them did attack, but Armin dispatched them with ease. Jean marveled how he had changed from a shy, reserved boy to a cold-hearted Titan killing machine. His kills were always clean, executed with minimum effort and maximum efficiency. Jean remembered how when they had just enlisted into the military, he had to help him with the grip of the blade. Now, Armin's skill was such that Jean had heard whispers comparing him to Mikasa. Of course, Jean hadn't mentioned this to Armin, because he wasn't sure how the boy would take it, but there was no doubt that if he kept at it, he would be able to match Levi himself in terms of number of kills.

"Jean, what's going on?"

Jean was shaken out of his reverie by Armin, who rode alongside him, looking a tad bit concerned. Jean shook his head and said, "Nothing – I'm fine. Just thinking of something is all." Armin nodded and continued staring ahead. He glanced to his right, where the giant trees towered over him, and narrowed his eyes. 'If my assumption is correct, Erwin and Levi are cutting through the forest in order to hash out a quicker path for all of us to use in the future. This means that when they emerge, the entire formation will have to be changed because they have to get back to their original positions. In that time frame, if Titans attack, we might not be able to stop them.'

He shook his head. 'I should have told Erwin about this.' Suddenly he heard the sound of a gun. Looking up, he saw a green flare moving to his left. Glancing at its source, he saw Erwin holding the gun up above him and moving in the direction of the flare. Behind him were Levi's squad and the rest of Erwin's elite squad.

Armin cracked a small smile as he realized that Erwin had a plan all along. He steered his horse in the direction of the flare and Jean followed suit. Slowly, all the Scouts moved away from the Forest and when all of them had come clear of the trees, Erwin fired a yellow signal, which meant everyone had to get back to their original posts. Armin nodded at Jean before drifting off to his post. Jean nodded back as he urged his horse forward.

Turning back to face the front, however, brought him face to face with a Titan.

Time seemed to slow for Jean as he watched the Titan look at him. It stood on all fours and it had a twisted smile across its face. It reached out and Jean knew that this was it. There was no time for him to draw his blades and activate his maneuver gear, and even if he did, there was nothing to latch on to except the Titan's own body, and sooner or later, he would be caught. He shut his eyes, expecting his end to be quick.