A/N: Hope you enjoy.
Two days later…
Running my finger through the scar I had recently obtained on my wrist, I sighed. Fog coming out of my mouth signalled me that it was time to go back inside. An expedition outside the walls had been announced yesterday. I had never been outside the walls, hence the reason as to why I was scared shitless. And the weather didn't do anything to help either. It was cold as hell. It actually surprised me that it hadn't started snowing again.
I pushed myself of the tree I had been resting on and made my way back inside. I entered the headquarters and smiled sadly. Everyone was running around, preparing themselves to leave. Supplies were gathered by those who had already finished packing up. I knew that most of them would make it back to the walls alive, but some would die in battle.
Remembering what I had seen the night I told Erwin about my abilities made me giggle. I felt an arm wrap around my shoulders and looked up to find Hanji. Damn, she was tall.
-Are you ready, cupcake? –She asked, grinning. She lifted her eyebrows knowingly.
-How did you...- I was about to ask before she interrupted me.
-Shorty told me everything. I had to force it out of him. That was so sweet of you! –She mushed. We kept walking, without direction. I just followed her, or was rather forced to follow her; since she was basically dragging me somewhere. I chuckled at the nickname she had given Levi. It was, indeed, true that Levi was short. But I was shorter, so I couldn't mock him.
-Thanks, I guess. –I answered shrugging. Her eyes lit up almost instantly. She grinned like a maniac once again and pulled out a notebook from her jacket with her free arm.
-Look! Here is where I will write down everything we find out about your abilities! –She exclaimed/whispered.
-I'm afraid you'll be disappointed, Hanji. I have no idea how to activate them. Much less, how to control them. –I revealed.
-Nonsense! We will find out more about them once we are outside the walls. You'll see, Merethe. I believe strongly in it. My gut is always right! –She claimed, letting go of my shoulders and jumping. She seemed happy. Happy to go outside the walls. Geez, I wished I was as eager as her to get eaten.
-Ew, Hanji…- I said resisting the urge to gag. She was hilarious, though. I loved that about her. Her strong sense of humour.
-You'll see. –She said smiling. She said hello to a man and turned around to look at me once again. Chuckling, she pulled out her notebook to write something.
-Is something funny? –I asked confused. What was she laughing about? Did my hair look funny?
-It's just that knowing that most of these men will not return from the expedition is a bittersweet feeling. –She stated, frowning. Curiously, I had been thinking about it. But, I wanted to know what she thought about it.
-What do you mean? –I asked.
-They have trained with all their strenght for many years, and yet, most of them die on their first expedition. It's depressing to know that we, after all this time, are still weaker than the titans. –She explained.
She was right. I was told that she had been on this military division since she was young. She was a higher rank than me and Levi. But, then again, I had just entered and Levi had only been here for a couple of months. I knew he would be promoted soon. He was an amazing soldier. Hanji had told me that he was called "Humanity's Strongest" by the superiors behind closed doors. They had been discussing whether to promote him or not. His past had long been forgiven and he was clean of all crimes committed.
He had narrated everything to me. He never allowed himself to show any emotion, even when he mentioned his old comrades. His voice had trembled a little, but he composed himself so quickly that I barely noticed.
-It is a bittersweet feeling indeed. –I agreed, looking at my feet.
-Well, we shouldn't mourn those who haven't died yet. I'll go get ready, you should do the same. –She suggested, leaving me alone in the hallways.
I walked slowly, making sure not to bump into anyone on the way. Finally arriving to my room, I unlocked the door and entered. Meadow appeared from behind my bed and approached me. Her tiny furry paws were trembling. The cold must have been taking a toll on her small body. In each room, there was a small fireplace, so that when winter came, soldiers could light it and warm themselves up. I grabbed a log and lighted the fire. Meadow purred in content and laid in front of it.
She would be just fine while I was gone. The kitten had recently learned how to hunt for her own food. How did I know that? She had once placed a dead mouse in front of me. Poor creature.
I wasn't sure what to take with me. As far as I was concerned, I only needed my 3D Manoeuvre Gear and a cloak. Other supplies such as food, ammo and water would be taken care of by the supplies department. I knew that arming yourself for an encounter with a Titan required careful consideration, a cool head, and a practical analysis of all factors involved.
I knew that I could also arm myself with weapons that didn't require gunpowder. It was a commonly held notion that using non-firearm ballistics such as bows and slingshots were a waste of energy and resources. In most cases, that was true. However, if used properly, such a weapon would enable you to score a kill at long range with little or no sound. Titans weren't our only threat. There were wild animals and bandits outside the walls. Sadly, my aiming with a bow sucked. I accepted it while practicing with Levi. He hit every target effortlessly and I missed every one of them.
Chuckling, I bid farewell to Meadow and made sure to leave the window open so that she could leave whenever she pleased.
We would be leaving really soon and I needed to know in which squad I would be assigned. I made my way to the operations room and found Erwin assigning people to their squad. After a while, pretty much everyone knew where they would be. My name hadn't been mentioned yet, and I feared that they had prohibited me from going outside the walls because of what had happened.
I was the only one in the room aside from Erwin. Everyone had already left. I slowly approached the commander and tapped him on the shoulder.
-Ah, Merethe. You are in my squad. –He announced, handing a badge to me. It was the emblem of the Survey Corps.
-Thank you, sir. What do I do with this? –I asked, puzzled.
-Wear it proudly. –He said lifting his gaze from the map and turning around to face me.
-I will, sir. –I said. I still didn't understand completely. He hadn't given a badge to anyone else.
-Welcome to the elite squad. –Erwin stated, saluting me. I saluted back and bowed. Being in the elite squad meant that I would be protected from the titans. But we were also in great danger, for if we were to lose every squad, death would not hesitate to knock at our doors. I couldn't disobey my commander, so I sucked it up.
The ring of a bell announced that it was time to leave.
"If you know the enemy and know yourself you need not fear the results of a hundred battles." –Sun Tzu
A/N: I apologize for the delay. Hope you enjoyed. Feel free to review.
