Erwin Smith considered himself a practical man. Whether it be in his military duty or in his mundane daily routines. If he saw something that he believed would give him an advantage he made use of it. He was by no means a manipulative user, he just knew that one couldn't afford to throw away the winning card if it was dealt to them. In the world they lived in one had to keep their eyes open for such things if they wanted to survive to live another day.

Imagine his surprise seven months ago when Hange brought him a large bat creature that she claimed was now her pet. Now, seeing as anything that wasn't human was usually out to kill them, his first thought was to have the animal killed. However, Hange talked him out of the idea. She wanted him to allow her the opportunity to try training it to follow commands and respond to her, much like the dogs attached to certain units. This creature was large enough to easily consume somebody from the waist up, so how on earth did Hange expect to get it to listen to her?

At first she didn't. She'd convinced the animal to initially follow her by offering it more food to go with the ham she originally gave it. Batty had been wary of her, not because it truly feared her, but with the injury it had instincts told it that caution was to be taken with any unknown. So, after a bit of a walk back, luckily not encountering any Titans during that time, Hange calmly escorted the mutant bat to HQ. The woman had Moblit enter before her, so as to inform everyone to make plenty of space in the courtyard. Hange didn't want anything startling Batty or agitating him to the point that he attacked someone.

Slowly, but surely, Hange led the mutant into a section that was built to house extra horses and carriages. It was empty on account of the Military Police needing the handful of horses for some reason or another. Batty warily looked around the interior, noting the lingering smell of the horses, but seeing none around he glanced at Hange one last time before leaping to the second floor, where extra crates were stored, and making another leap to the supporting rafters.

Being careful to avoid jostling his injured wing too much, Batty almost seemed to scoff at Hange, and an arriving Erwin, before hanging upside-down and folding his wings in. Large eyes closed and the two humans could see his chest taking steady, deep breaths. It seemed that the mutant wished to sleep, and the two humans would oblige him, even though Erwin was glaring daggers at both it and Hange.

"Hange, I would like to speak with you for a moment please." His voice was almost pleasant, like he just wanted to shoot the breeze, but Hange knew that tone, mixed with his glare, meant something completely different.

"Sure thing! Ok Batty, you just get some rest and I'll be back in a little while." The bat ignored her as it continued to rest, while Erwin had already made his way outside and into the courtyard.

With one last glance towards Batty she followed outside, coming face-to-face with a stern-faced Erwin, a nervous Moblit, emotionless Levi, and surprisingly Dot Pixes. Before she could get any words out Levi decided it was time to speak his mind. "I have to wonder if you get some kind of pleasure from stirring up trouble four-eyes." His voice was as flat as the expression of his lips.

"Nope, I just wanted to bring my friend here. You saw how big he was, right? Well I thought maybe he'd be a good companion." She hadn't lost her wide smile at all since walking through the gates, and now with her speaking about this creature like it was some kind of cat really made Levi question her sanity.

Erwin intervened before Levi could say, or do, anything more. "Listen Hange, what reason do you have for bringing something like that behind the Walls? It's obviously not a natural animal given the size, what would you have done if it tried to eat you?"

"Oh come on. He's not gonna eat anybody. Just be nice to him and you'll be fine."

"He attacked you."

"Shut up Moblit."

"I'm just saying."

"You are both idiots."

Erwin nodded in agreement with Levi, then looked back at the stable that housed their new guest. Once everyone realized he was apparently thinking on a decision of some sort they shut up, waiting patiently for his next words. Pixes, however, stood alongside his fellow Commander, also eyeing the outline of the bat, before turning his gaze towards Erwin.

"Hange," Erwin finally turned away from the stable, locking eyes with a suddenly calm Hange, "This bat, if we were to attempt to train it, what purpose would it serve?"

"I could have him help me with recon in places that are infested with Titans. Plus, he has this really awesome yelling attack thing, which might do some damage against them." Hange looked to the stable, "If he were to get bigger than he is now he could really help against some of the larger sized Titans."

Erwin looked to the stable once more, before apparently making some decision of a sort. "You three return to you duties. Hange, for the moment only you and myself are to enter that stable. Anyone else that is found messing around there is to be brought to me immediately. Pixes," He turned to the other man, "Would you mind accompanying myself to a little get together with some of the other superiors?"

"Not at all Smith. Even if I had something I was currently doing, I'm quite intrigued by whatever it is you might have on your mind." Pixes smiled lightly, taking a sip of from his flask.

"Thank you. Levi, gather your squad later today and have them on standby for further instructions. Depending on how things go I'd like you to help with a little demonstration I just thought up."

"I'll get right on it." Without waiting for any more instructions the clean freak set out to find his small group of comrades.

Erwin nodded in approval before heading away, Pixes following him and listening to another detail meant for just them. "While I find where Dok is would you mind tracking down Shadis?"

"Sure. It won't take me very long hopefully. Where do you want us to meet you after I find him?"

"I'd like for us all to confer with Zackly. However, to be on the safe side, once we are gathered, then it would be best to determine a location that will be secure and away from listening ears."

Pixes frowned just a bit at that. "You suspect that someone may be spying on you? Or perhaps on one of us?"

"In our line of business you can never be too careful. I feel it would benefit to keep only those that need to know informed of certain things at the moment."

"Such as?"

"To see if perhaps we can locate more of these abnormal animals. So far humanity has encountered a large lizard and a large bat. It begs the question of what else might be out beyond the Walls, and if we could tame them to the point of being useful."

Pixes hummed an affirmation, the idea sounding like a positive boon to him in his mind. "I shall see you then. Perhaps you'd best think of a plan to enact this idea when you tell it to Zackly. He'll like something even half-way plausible."

Smiling to herself while she looked for some material that would serve as an eventual harness, Hange waved over at Moblit, speaking without pausing in her search, "Go see if we have any fresh watermelons in the food storage. If we do bring me three of them so that later I can give them to Batty. It'll give us the chance to see if he'll take greens as well as meat."

"You know, I really think that you should come up with a better name. Something like…..I don't know…Man-Bat or something like that."

Hange stopped what she was doing and turned her gaze to her subordinate. She stared, unblinking, into his eyes for a full minute before he brought up his hands in a placating manner. "Ok, ok, I'll leave it alone. We'll just stick with Batty."

The mad scientist smiled and gave her unwilling partner a happy nod, returning to her search as if nothing happened.

Oh, how seven months would change things for the military.

Firstly, I am deeply sorry for the long delay. I have literally been to hell and back since last updating. I had my grandpa pass away, my cat pass away, my drinking get WAY out of control, and pretty much at one point had a mental breakdown. However, I am happy to note that I am now in a much better place mentally and emotionally, and I've been clean for three weeks now. And will now be putting chapters out again for this story. How fast or often, no clue, but they will come until the story is complete. Thank you to all the support from you guys.