Disclaimer: Don't own anything but Seffra and Jonah.

Chapter 10: A Fateful Meeting?

She should be safe now. Seffra had run fast and far from Levi's position. That is, she ran all the way to an interesting location. Before her stood a wall, or rather, a fence with strange pointed wires bordering the top of the wooden structure. This type of wall just said 'Don't enter. Forbidden territory.'

Well, Seffra wasn't going to let something as miniscule as this get in her way. Especially if it was a human construct that was getting in her way. Besides, that Shorty would never think that she would willing go in there simply because he would think she would assume that he would think she would go in there simply because it was illogical and would therefore avoid going in there because she was likely to go inside because she was unlikely to do so….Seffra felt a headache coming on from trying to think of this logically.

Point is, she was going in.

Getting in was actually simple. It wasn't that hard to twist between the wires without a scratch. If the humans had truly wished for people to not crawl between them, they should have set the strange wire closer together.

What Seffra saw inside was one of the strangest things she had ever seen, and she had walked in on animals doing strange (to her at least) things.

Apart from the Survey Corps on their expeditions, Seffra had never seen so many humans in one location. They were all in what looked like an oversized pit hole. A majority of these humans though seemed to be pups just on the brisk of being prepared to travel with their pack.

Seffra jumped down, sticking to some of the rock formations to get a closer look, though she remained out of sight. She was in plain clothes, so she would stand out too much here.

They were all approaching these bizarre contraptions, three poled tools with a strange curved balance board on top. A pup would strap his or her comrade to the trailing wires and lift them up, making the tested pup do a strange balance act. They were all being watched by a grown wolf (human).

Some were actually doing pretty well, like the girl with short black hair. Her face was blank as she remained perfectly balanced without a hint of effort. A guy who oddly reminded Seffra of the horses she saw in the stables seemed to be doing well, though he had to keep his arms out to keep his shaky balance.

A dark brunette girl was treating the thing like a swing with her posture, though there was no unsteady movements. Her other neighbor was a different story. The grey haired shaven kid looked like he was doing some strange ritualistic dance, though he was keeping his balance.

It was like a game.

This was the perfect distraction. All these pups were balancing, or attempting to, on these strange triangular stands with wires. Some were pretty good and keeping their balance easily or with only some struggle.

There was one though, that was completely upside down. Seemed a little counterproductive to be goofing off like that at a time like this. She may not know what was going on, but even Seffra could feel the slight tension in the air among all these people.

She didn't need to get a closer look at his face to make out the shock and terror. Probably didn't help with that old baldy yelling at him...actually, Seffra could swear that she had seen baldy somewhere before. Years back actually, before Wall Maria fell. Though she had to picture him with a head of hair other than just on his chin.

Maybe the guy had been in the Survey Corps at one time? She would have to ask Hange if she remembered. Otherwise it was going to bug her during the times her mind wandered.

Seffra stuck around for a while longer, watching some people succeed and others fail, though none seemed to fail as comically as that one boy.

Once she noticed that all the pups were in plain clothes, Seffra decided to mingle, keeping close to the shadows though, just in case. She wanted to get a feel on just how fresh these humans were. No one spoke with her, most likely due to the 'back off' aura she gave. If these had been actual soldiers, than they wouldn't have been intimidated with the minuscule amount she permitted to escape. But these were obviously pups, just learning how to use their fangs.

As night settled in, Seffra wondered if she should head back. Knowing Shorty, he was going to punish her for both her actions today and for skipping out on cleaning the whole day. Not that she cared. He wasn't of her pack nor her Alpha so she felt no responsibility to obey him within this structure.

In other words, she was going to keep ditching.

She started walking back within the surrounding forest, contemplating if she should just camp out in a tree or waste time getting lectured and possibly used as a floor mat.

...Camping out it is.

-AoT-

The stars were beautiful, the lake view she had from her perch breathtaking. This land almost appeared untainted by human interference. Sometimes, seeing nature the way she had in her travels (or mindless wandering) and seeing what humans had built and torn down, Seffra wondered if that was why Titans existed.

Had humans back then destroyed the balance so badly that nature created a predator for humans, removing them from the top of the food chain? The only time she had witnessed Titans actually acting like monsters was when humans were around. All the other times, they almost seemed, peaceful. Harmless even.

She didn't necessarily hate Titans. They were merely another foe she faced for survival at random intervals, no different than bears or wild cats. Only bigger. Much bigger.

The sound of footsteps altered Seffra that she could be expecting company.

Pressing herself against the tree, she remained silent. She couldn't attack mindlessly. By the sounds of it, there were four beings closing in on her, though their pace gave no sense of urgency, rather it was like they were merely on a stroll. At this time of night though? Was shorty planning some sort of trap and was using Hange and some others as bait? She could see him doing that, though Seffra doubted Hange would be this quiet.

Instead of any trap worthy soldiers, four pups came out of the tree cover. Two blondes and two dark haired humans of the male variety. They all looked over the lake, admiring nature's beauty for a moment.

Pups by the looks of their cloak insignia.

It was the brawny blonde boy that spoke, continuing a conversation that she was unaware of.

"We'll take it from step one, belt adjustment. By tomorrow, you'll be an expert." He turned away from the view to look at the shorter dark haired boy. Now that she took the time to look, that was upside-down boy. Guess they came out for some late night training.

"I know you've got what it takes, I can see it in you. Am I wrong here?" Brawny's eyes seemed to almost dare UD-boy to say otherwise.

"No, I won't fail. Thank you, Reiner. Thank you." The terror she remembered the boy displaying hours before seemed to have disappeared completely, replaced with confidence.

Seffra finally allowed herself to relax, watching the boys go over the basics of the boy's gear. From what she overheard, Blonde Brawny's name is Reiner, Tall Stock is Bertholdt, Girly boy is Armin, and UD-boy is Eren. She was really getting sleepy just listening to these guys jabber on and one about balance and his gear.

Finally, they seemed to get ready to leave. Seffra was just happy for them to finally leave so she could when she heard something that set her off.

"Finally. I just need to get through tomorrow and after that, I'll be one step closer to defeating every last Titan."

There was no hiding the snort the escaped Seffra. As the sound traveled to the ground, all four boys stiffened, suddenly aware that they weren't as alone as they believe themselves to be. Had a superior found them? How?

"You, a mere pup is going to bring down every last Titan? It's people like you that result in more people dying then necessary."

They all flinched when Seffra jumped down right in front of them. The boys relaxed when they saw not a superior, but rather a woman in plain clothes.

"You really need to get a grip on reality while you're still capable of doing so, pup. Otherwise you're going to get yourself and your friends killed."

Her eyes never wavered from Eren, allowing no mistake to be made as to whom she was speaking to.

The young boy practically bristled.

"Who are you to say what I can or can't do?"

"Seffra Lyall. Someone who has lived enough to be able to guage someone's threat level. And I can say with no hesitation that you, kid-" Before Eren could blink, the woman was suddenly inches away from him, right hand extending towards his head.

"-are no threat what-so-ever. All pups growl and howl but their bite has no real grip."

She poked him right in the forehead with her finger, the action making Eren flinch.

"Grow up, gain some actual muscle, and learn how to survive before you start boasting outrageous claims like that. It's because you're so green that no one will take you seriously in the future if you spout idiotic nonsense like that."

As if just realizing he was being looked down upon, Eren growled and threw a wild fist. If this had been a fight like the ones he participated in back in Shiganshina, it would have connected. However, what may have worked against some bullies, didn't have the same result against someone who spent years fighting against Titans and other dangerous predators.

Seffra flipped backwards, causing the punch to throw off Eren's posture. This gave Seffra the chance to clip him right in the chin as she kicked her feet off the ground. Once her full weight was on her hands, Seffra spun on them, curving her leg to gain momentum, permitting her to kick the errant boy in the chest. Eren got knocked back on his ass as Seffra pushed off the ground to complete the original flip and land on her feet, a ways away from the male group.

"Eren! Are you alright?!" Armin ran forward, checking on his friend. Reiner and Bertholdt both stepped forward, ready to assist should the strange woman attack again.

Instead though, she merely leaned back on her heels, eyes staring down at Eren with empty contemplation.

"You're still too young to understand just what it means to face off against Titans."

Eren glared up at the red haired woman, fury so strong that if it were a blade, it would have pierced her flesh.

"Don't think you know me. I've seen what those monsters do to humans. I saw firsthand how they penetrated Wall Maria." He didn't shout, but his tone told all there was to tell of his temperament.

Seffra just raised an eyebrow.

"Do you want a medal or something?"

The boys couldn't help but be shocked. This woman had just dismissed one of the greatest tragedies humanity knew of as if they were just talking about the weather.

"I don't care if you witnessed the arrival of the Titans personally. In the end, you are still nothing more than a pup baring his blunt fangs at a higher predator. I see nothing worthy of respect. Any human can wave a blade around and kill something. To me, you're nothing more than an infant in his toy box, unaware of just how large the world is. If you ever want to achieve that goal of yours, you need to do more than snarl and bite at everything thrown at you."

She was done with this boy. If he didn't learn any humiliation from this, then he was going to learn through harsher means, assuming he actually survived this training he and his comrades were participating in.

Without waiting for any response, Seffra walked away, feeling the eyes of the boys on her until the shadows engulfed her.

It would be years later that she would find out that Eren Yeager had sworn revenge on her at that time, determined to bring her to her knees and prove that he was strong enough to defeat the Titans. That it would be that very thought, along with slaughtering the Titans, which would continue to push the boy through training.

-AoT-

Seffra couldn't help but think that she should have stayed by the lake, despite the errant pup, as she growled up at Levi, who was currently staring down at her. Poor Seffra was on her back on the ground, his foot on her chest, keeping her pinned down. A bucket and rag was beside them both, indicating exactly what Seffra was trying to avoid doing and what Levi was going to make her do.

TBC…..

A.N. I wasn't going to have Levi in this chapter but this just popped into my head and had to be added at the last minute, a tribute in a way to the torture my soul sister put me through. She actually pinned me down like that, trying to get me to cosplay as a guy when I refused despite having drawn the short straw. (I still claim that the straws were rigged somehow). I hope you all enjoyed Eren's introduction and I hope he was in character with this interaction. Seffra's thoughts were actually some of my frustrations regarding Eren's behavior given an outlet, written with Seffra's personality.

Special thanks to: otakuxchanxdesu, AoiChouko, Wonkie, PyroKitsune, Vivien The Killer, Jetta-chan, Imaginer Lady, Becka3490, and Mockingjay2001 for adding this story to Favorites/Following.

aniqa1234: I am okay. I'm used to burns, cuts, and the like, just hurt like hell since it was on the hand with skin that stretches and being the dominate hand. Thank you for your compliment.

Becka3490: Thank you. I'm glad you like this. That helps my confidence and desire to improve to make it more enjoyable to read.

KiraKiraBluemoon: Correct! Naruto inspired that scene. It wasn't going to be there originally but as I was writing it, I suddenly thought it would be perfect to add. Thanks for the review.

And thank you all for reading this story. Please let me know what you think and if there are any type of scenes you'd like to see and I may try to fit them in.