Chapter 14: Pack Mentality

Disclaimer: I don't own Attack on Titan or dog AUs.

It was now or never. Levi searched the masses for members of the Survey Corps and locked eyes with Krista. Ymir was right beside her, hovering protectively with a mean look on her face. The Captain knew he could count on the shifter to come in handy if needed. While he was apprehensive about bringing another shifter to this place at first, everyone agreed it would be a good idea in case things got rough.

He knew other soldiers of his regiment were scattered throughout the crowd, as well as Pixis's soldiers. All they needed was the signal to take action.

"Yeah!" Kenny hollered beside him, pumping his fist in the air as he watched the match. "This is one of the best fights of the season. Of course, I knew Jaeger would deliver," he told his nephew.

"Is that why you kept trying to steal him from me?" Levi asked, turning to face his uncle. His fists were clenched at his side, and his face held a no-nonsense expression.

His uncle must have noticed the change, because he grinned. "Hey, I apologized, didn't I? Regardless, I think it works out better this way, don't you?"

"No, I don't," Levi deadpanned. "Let's drop the bullshit, Kenny. We both know why I'm here and why I even agreed to this fight. You're under arrest for participation in illegal dog fighting, kidnapping, and attempted murder."

Kenny just laughed at his nephew, throwing his arms out wide. "What are you going to do, Little Levi? Arrest me in the middle of my fighting pits? You're good, I'll give you that, but you can't take down everyone in this arena and you know it."

Several of Kenny's men turned their attention from the match in the ring to the standoff between the Captain and the dogfighter. Out of the corner of his eye, Levi noticed his soldiers closing in all around them.

"Good thing I didn't come alone, then."

It was all the warning they got before an all-out battle began on the outskirts of the ring. Levi whirled around to kick his uncle in the ribs, knocking the wind from him as he stumbled to the side. Then chaos erupted as Kenny's men surged forward while Garrison and Survey Corps members rushed in.

Punches were thrown and fights broke out all around the ring. No one was watching the shifters battle anymore. The area grew louder with shouts and grunts from humans as the sound of skin hitting skin resounded off the walls.

Levi let out a grunt as a fist collided with his cheek before returning the favor. Kenny's men were focused on him, with one after the other attempting to land a punch or grapple with the shorter man. Levi dodged one fist to throw out a kick, then whirled and crouched to deliver a right hook to his closest opponent. It reminded him of when he was younger, when this kind of fight took place every day, and he had to win in order to survive.

But he couldn't let himself dwell on his past when his future was right in front of him. After clearing a space by knocking out some of his uncle's goons, he headed toward the ring.

"Eren!" he called out, pushing past the crowd. But the ring was empty, and the shifter was nowhere to be found. Panic began rising in his chest and he froze.

"I knew you'd pull something like this, you little punk," his uncle growled out behind him. "But I don't plan on losing!"

Levi whirled around only to be roughly shoved back against the barricade. His knees faltered and he slid against the ringside wall, gripping the top to hold himself steady as he glared up at Kenny from beneath his bangs.

"What have you done with him?" he hissed.

Eren kept glancing back to look for his owner among the commotion. There was so much going on, it was hard to tell what was happening. The smells and noises were overwhelming his senses, making him let out a small whine.

The Husky huffed again and indicated for him to follow. They ran down a narrow hallway, away from the madness inside the arena. A tall, lanky man with short, dark brown hair came out from a nearby room and the Husky stopped. The two nodded to each other and Eren knew instantly that this was the Great Dane shifter. The German Shepherd growled, taking a few steps back.

"It's okay, we're gonna get you out of here safe," the man said in a soft voice.

Eren shook his head, continuing to growl and back up. He needed to find Levi, he needed—

The Husky barked in his ear, shoving him forward. Eren turned to snap at him, teeth inches from the other dog's face.

"Trust us, please! Your friends are outside waiting," the man told him, pointing down the hall. "If you stay here, Kenny will get you."

Eren was still wary and sore, wanting nothing more than to see his owner and his friends. But he knew he couldn't go back into the fray without getting caught up in it. Besides, Erwin and the rest of the Survey Corps were supposed to be out there, along with Pixis and more of the Garrison.

After a moment he moved forward, limping slightly but focusing only on getting out of there and back to his family. The tall shifter strode ahead and the Husky ran alongside Eren as they followed. A pair of double doors stood in their way, and the Great Dane shifter threw them open to reveal a blinding light.

Eren blinked to clear his vision, and saw Annie standing just outside.

Wild shifters often take on a pack hierarchy when living outside of cities. Packs are essentially families, and each member is fiercely protective of each other. They may choose to only mate with members of their pack, creating a larger family, and sometimes meet up with other packs to mate. There have also been cases of lone wilds who avoid packs, preferring to live on their own. When members of a pack leave to roam alone or join a new community, remnants of the bond may remain. Some stay friends and keep in contact.

"You're never gonna see that mangy mutt again!" Kenny yelled, rearing his arm back to deliver a punch.

Levi pushed off from the barricade, ducking under his uncle's punch and bringing his own fist up to hit him square in the jaw, knocking the man backwards.

"Get him out of my face," Levi growled as some soldiers swarmed in. They picked up the dogfighter and dragged him away.

"Captain, we can't find Eren!" Krista said as she approached, the concern obvious in her voice and expression. Ymir was close by her, narrowed eyes scanning the room as she towered over most of the others.

"Kenny's men might have taken him as soon as we made our move. Spread out and search the arena. I'll tell Erwin and Pixis to get a search party out," Levi commanded.

"Yes, sir!" Krista replied with a salute and disappeared into the crowd.

Several uniformed Garrison and Survey Corps soldiers were already arresting the dogfighting enthusiasts who couldn't run away once the fighting broke out. A few scuffles were still taking place, but things appeared to be under control for now.

Levi stormed out of the arena and headed straight for his fiancé. "We can't find Eren, his opponent was one of the wild shifters who attacked him the other day, and they both disappeared as soon as all hell broke loose in there."

"Annie and Mikasa are already on it, don't worry," Erwin said, reaching out to wipe away the blood on Levi's cheek. "You got a bit roughed up in there," he murmured softly.

Levi swatted the other man's hand away. "I'm fine, I just want to get Eren out of here. Where are they?"

Erwin hid a smile behind his hand and gestured around the side of the building. "At the back. Come on."

Levi didn't wait for the Commander as he darted ahead.

"Pixis, I assume you can take care of Kenny and the rest of this rabble?" Erwin asked over his shoulder.

The older man nodded. "We'll take him straight to the General. Once you get Eren, meet up with us there," he stated.

Erwin nodded and followed the short Captain to the back of the building.

Eren was confused when he saw Annie standing there with Mikasa right beside her. Their expressions were firm, with Mikasa breathing a sigh of relief as soon as she saw the German Shepherd.

"Good, you're alright. Levi must be looking for you," she said, kneeling down in front of him. Glancing up at the tall shifter, she added, "Thanks for helping us, Bert."

The man ducked his head and gave a small nod. Eren looked from him to Mikasa, tilting his head to the side curiously. The Husky shifted back into human form, rolling his shoulders and shaking out his limbs. He approached Annie, who tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.

"Can you transform back? How injured are you?" Mikasa asked, checking over Eren's wounds. She gently lifted one foreleg to examine his injury, then tilted his chin up to look at his neck.

Eren woofed at her, glancing at the wilds who were speaking with Annie.

Mikasa sighed. "They were part of the pack Annie ran with when she was a wild. They're friends, I promise."

Eren let out a doubtful sound, but before Mikasa could say any more, Eren's ears perked up. Levi rounded the corner and slid to a halt in front of the group. He eyed the wilds warily, giving Mikasa a slightly questioning look.

Eren yipped, running at his owner and jumping up, almost knocking Levi over. "Hey there, I'm glad I found you," Levi chuckled as he ruffled Eren's furry head.

The Husky shifter approached them and Levi's eyes narrowed. "Sorry," the shifter said in a deep, gruff voice.

Eren turned to the other shifter and began to change into his human form, his bones shifting into place as they rearranged themselves. Once he was on two legs again, he stood close to Levi protectively. "For what?"

"We thought you were a lone wild who wandered into our territory, that's why we attacked that day," the Husky shifter explained. "But Annie set us straight."

"This is Reiner," Annie stepped forward, tilting her head in the other blonde's direction. "And that's Bertholt," she gestured to the tall Great Dane shifter.

"I'm Eren…Jaeger," the German Shepherd shifter said, glancing at Levi. "This is my owner, Captain Levi."

Reiner gave a curt nod to the Captain, then looked at Eren. "You're the rogue we've been hearing about," stated.

"And you're the wilds that have been roaming around town scaring people," Levi replied coldly. "Kenny said he captured you to use in the fighting pits."

The big blond nodded. "Bert got away and found Annie, told her what happened."

Levi turned to Mikasa. "And why didn't you tell me?"

The girl shrugged. "I didn't expect them to end up in a ring together. Besides, I didn't know how you'd react if you knew they were the ones who attacked Eren."

"S-Sorry," Bert spoke up nervously behind Reiner.

Levi glanced between all of them and then looked back to Eren. "I guess everything's okay now," he murmured. "Just be more careful next time," he told the wilds.

The Husky and Great Dane shifters nodded. "We're leaving so we don't get caught again," Reiner said, then glanced at Annie. "See you around."

Annie nodded and watched the two leave.

"Are you sure you don't want to join them?" Mikasa whispered to her.

Annie stepped closer to her owner. "I like it here with you."

Mikasa smiled and brushed some hair out of the shifter's face.

"Ackerman," Levi spoke up. When she turned to look at him, he said, "We need to talk about all of this at some point."

"Yes, sir."

"Ah, Eren, there you are!" Erwin exclaimed and scooped the shifter up. Eren let out a yip of surprise and nuzzled Erwin's face. "Let's get those wounds checked out, hm?" the Commander smiled and started carrying him away.

"Hey!" Levi called after him. "Did you know about the wilds?"

"Know what?" Erwin asked as he slowed his pace, looking down at Eren's green eyes to avoid Levi's harsh gaze.

"Don't give me that!" Levi growled, getting in front of them.

Erwin finally looked at his fiancé. "I was recently made aware of the situation, yes."

"And how come everyone knew but me and Eren?"

"That's my fault, sir. I didn't tell the Commander until he told us about the plan for the fighting pits," Mikasa said.

"And by the time she told me, you and Eren were already in position with Kenny at the fighting pits," Erwin added.

Levi stepped close. "I thought we agreed to communicate better."

Eren whined, reaching out to the Captain and glancing up at Erwin. "Too much fighting today. Stop," he pleaded.

Erwin placed a gentle hand on Levi's cheek, rubbing the soft skin with his thumb. "We'll talk about it once we're all home safe, okay? I promise."

Levi glanced between Eren's pouting puppy dog face and Erwin's soft gaze. "Fine."

"But first, we need to get Eren checked out and shut down the Underground dog fights," Erwin said, glancing down to smile at the shifter.

Eren smiled back at him and Levi reached up to ruffle the dog's hair. "You did good, kid."

Author's Note: Merry Christmas! I got to see all of my dogs and was inspired to update.