„Die sehr weite grüne Erde. Das reiche schöne Wasser. Die grandiose Natur sorgt immer noch für ihre Kinder" – Vogel im Käfig
The wide green earth. The rich beautiful water. The wonderful nature still takes care for its children.

Chapter 11 - Chuff

Bright sunlight stung in her eyes as she pushed through the boughs and brambles. With the sun raised high into its zenith, she was forced to shield her eyes for a moment, and the heat was immediately beating down on her. Stepping out into the open was like entering an entirely different world.

Once her eyes had adjusted, she soaked in her new environment that was deviant to the forest in many ways. The river's roar was not muffled anymore but of an unbridled volume, and with the river's banket being composed by mainly gravel and larger rocks, they formed a multitude of swirling currents and smaller cascades along the watercourse, the many movements of the glassy surface setting a strong contrast to the otherwise still scene of softwood grove and the river meadow. Almost out of place seemed the multitude of willow seeds that gradually floated through the air, defying any pull of gravity like the lightest little snowflakes.

She hadn't even known there were places like this within the Walls. It was hard to believe she had missed such beautiful parts of former human territory.

The sound of cracking wood pulled her attention backwards, where she witnessed a certain titan pushing through the hanging branches in a manner that was in any way clumsier than her own attempt. Once freed from the confinements of the canopies, he straightened up and groaned in stretching, apparently grateful for the additional space. After a short glance to check on her, he turned to survey their environment, vigilant eyes scanning the scenery above the treetops. At some stage however, his head abruptly stopped to swivel back to a specific spot, dark eyes narrowing slightly as he seemed to peruse something in the distance. Much to her displeasure, any attempt on following his line of sight ended in nothing but trees.

"What is it?" she asked as she approached the towering form. But he didn't seem willing to respond to her, still transfixed by whatever he beheld. What could it be that had him so focused? Seeing him serious like this was enough reason to unnerve her, too. But then again, she highly doubted that there could be any serious threats for him, knowing about how easily he was able to dispatch titans.

A tingling sensation spread in her belly as she came to stand right next him, the feeling strangely exhilarating yet close to an uncomfortable intensity. As silly as it sounded, she had almost forgot about just how awfully tall he was. But now that she thought about it, he had always remained in lowered postures whenever she was close, presumably to not appear like the intimidating figure he undoubtedly was. Seeing that he had stopped dissimulating his nature was reason for her to believe she was on the right track. It was proof of her progress in gaining his trust.

For some more moments she simply stood and watched in awe, seizing the opportunity to have a close see the full expanse of a titan without the distortion of panic and survival instincts. Her gaze then wandered down to his ankle that remained still as stone right in front of her, as if planted into the Earth. For a moment, she teetered between her options but in the end, curiosity got the better of her.

A significant jolt went through the gargantuan body as he noticed the feather-light yet unexpected poke right above his ankle. Lifting his arm, his gaze shot down to the figure that was looking up with eyes full of expectation.

"Would you show me what you found?" She asked in an almost imposedly innocent voice, her volume clearly risen for she wasn't sure if he could possibly hear her up there. Naturally, she was highly interested to see what had caught the titan's attention. But more than that, she hoped to catch a glimpse above the canopies to regain at least some sort of orientation. And with that, independence.

His gaze lingered with an expression difficult to read, until she dissected it as one of… disconcertion? Disapproval? As if debating with himself, he only blinked a few more times until he came to a conclusion.

Truth be told, she should have known what would follow, yet she failed to contain her coolness as the titan suddenly dropped into a squad, the dark, open palm practically falling from the skies above. Her guts clearly clenched at the large swoosh of air right above her head, but despite the daylight being blotted out now, he made no contact whatsoever. Obviously oblivious to the fact that he had been dangerously close to squishing her just a second earlier, he then turned his palm in the most careful of movements before ushering her forward with a soft nudge.

To avoid more near heart-attack, it would probably be wise assume more prudent attitudes for the future.

Following his prompt more or less voluntarily, she looked back to search for a reason of his rejection. Alas, it was impossible to tell only from his usually impartial expression. He might just be concerned of her well-being, presuming that he knew of her need for water, but he might as well prove to feel uncomfortable with her close proximity.

Or, he was just trying to deflect her question again, though that didn't really make sense. After all, what could be his intention in withholding what he had seen?

She sighed in a twinge of defeat. Perhaps it was a hasty conclusion that he was already trusting her, and the answers she needed proved to be harder to acquire than anticipated. However, there was no use in pushing it, so she followed his coaxing and moved on.

The water was cold enough to bite at her ankles but was actually an enjoyable refreshment under the heat that had her close to sweating now already. As she stepped further into the water, she watched a group of trouts venturing upstream, braving the current with unhampered ambition with their scales sparkling like a dozen little diamonds.

Dropping into a crouch, she scooped several handfuls of water, glad to finally ease her desiccated throat. It was not until later that she heard soft splashes approaching from behind, until the titan joined in by crouching next to her. He seemed to be caught in blissful inquisition as he wiggled a finger in the little waves, purring silently while his face was speckled with the dancing reflections of the stream. A soft smile pulled at her lips before she turned her attention away again, scooping some water as long as she had the chance to. Seizing the opportunity, she scooped some more to refresh her face as well, until a hollow grumble emerged from her belly.

Staring in a sense of bewilderment, she was reminded that some food would be about time as well.

"Hey uhm…" she lifted her head as an idea popped up in her mind, but forgot what it was in the very instant that she looked at him. Much to her surprise, he too had aligned his hands to a bowl to carry water in them, now scrutinizing it in close distance. Not lacking a certain degree of scepticism, he sniffed at it before taking a probing lick.

Before being able to process what she was seeing, he sat up and edged the cupped hands to his maw, tossing back his head to swallow it. Apparently, however, he was not overly graceful in this close to unfeasible task, with a major portion of the water running down the jaw and leaking through the teeth. Surely, he shows both curiosity and determination to try it against better judgement. But a certain degree of foolishness, too.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say someone here is imitating me." She teased with arms crossed, large Greens widening even more in a caught expression as he met her eyes. At their donned innocence, she couldn't help but chortle in laughing. She wondered what his motivation could be. Perhaps it was just a funny feeling to him? Or he had indeed fun in imitating her? Mocking her, perhaps?

"Well, I guess there's no harm in trying. But don't blame me if your stomach gets upset by it. I know next to nothing about titan physiology."

He gave her a lopsided smile before taking the incentive to scoop another handful, but the procedure came to a sudden end as in one moment, the titan flinched back in surprise, barely containing a yelp and dropping the water as if it was poison. In a mixture of wariness and blunt interest, he then scrutinized the spot where he had just dropped the water. A sequence of agitated grunts followed, and he shot her a look of bewilderment before pointing on the spot, as if asking her for help. Curious as to what got him unnerved, she stepped closer to look for herself.

"This one?" She pointed at the presumed object of interest, gaining a nod from above.

"That's just a grayling." She grinned, containing a giggle as to how a titan could be afraid of a fish. But her reassurance was enough for him to visibly relax again. Now clearly intrigued, he followed every movement of the paddling fellow on its slow advance upstream, albeit maintaining a respectful distance.

A larger rock invited her to take a seat on it while watching the titan. It was hard to explain why exactly, but it was hard to deny that he was truly interesting to watch, amusing even. Seeing an intelligent beast marvel about the smallest things was marvellous itself. Leaning back on her arms and with her feet dangling in the water, she listened to the splashing water, fervent songs of little wrens and the titan's occasional grunts of fascination.

That was, until a familiar sharp whistle cut through the air. She looked right in time as not a second later, there was a small flash of blue and red darting over the water's surface – and right under a pair of entranced, unsuspecting eyes. The air was then filled with an equally frightened and frightening shriek that came close to a squeal, followed by a loud splash as he lost his balance and fell back onto his forearms.

For a moment, there was only the water's rumble and the agitated breath of the titan.

And a buoyant laughter.

Tears started to spill from her eyes as she struggled to keep herself seated on the rock, clasping her belly with little success of restraining the fit. A kingfisher...! Knocked out by a fucking kingfisher! Oh Maria, this was unbelievable..! Sure, he had no problem in ripping apart his opponents, but when it comes to the tiniest of animals he was afraid as a chicken! This was far too absurd! Absolutely ridiculous!

The titan's bewildered stare couldn't have been more sensible on her, yet she couldn't help herself from shaking and folding over in near-cramped laughter.

That was, until she was hit by a cold splatter in retaliation.

"What the— Hey!" She scowled at the titan, or at least tried to. Seeing him now huffing as well, her grin changed into a cunning one as she stood up in challenging.

"Think you would get away with that? You cheeky little…!"

With that, she jumped into the water and sloshed around as much as possible.

Truth be told, she didn't really know what she was thinking when she started that. There was something contagious, close to intoxicating about seeing the titan's chuffs. But hell, she should have known the inevitable consequence it would lead to.

For fuck's sake, she should have known better than to start a water fight with a titan.

The last thing she witnessed was a wave that towered twice her size. In the next moment, she found herself washed up against the river shore. Repetitive nudges on her side were pulling her back towards consciousness, alongside an inquisitive mewl that dripped concern. Upon peeling her eyes open, she was surprised to not be met by sunlight but by a pair of brilliant green eyes instead.

Coughing and wheezing she sat up, brushing off the hair that had been draping across her face. His hand hesitantly moved to support her back, clearly torn between the desire to comfort and the fear of making things worse than they already were. It was a decidedly gentle push that helped her back to her feet.

"Well, guess that was my bad." She forced between some more intakes of air. "No worries. It'll need more than some water to take me down."

She forced a smile despite the fact that she was drenched from head to toe, successfully coaxing him to relax again. Feeling the wet jacket cling uncomfortably on her skin, she then pulled it off and inspected its many dirty stains. After that unexpected change of events, she could as well make the most of it.

"Now that I'm soaked anyway…" she said as her gaze trailed down over the rest of her attire, contemplating for a moment. "… I think I'll take a bath around that corner. I'll be right back" She gave him a fleet, assuring smile before turning and walking off downstream, the jacket flung over one shoulder. Her resolute demeanour didn't achieve its intended effect though, and it wasn't until a few steps later that the titan clearly voiced his doubts. Yep, she should have known that this wouldn't work like she had hoped, for he was far too leery still. But it was worth the try.

Turning around, she noticed that had already made a move to follow her.

"Dude, it's not like I'll be gone for an hour. Give me 10 minutes and I'll be fine."

But try as might, it was not convincing enough. The only reaction she could achieve was his brow to deepen from attentive into that familiar look of thoughtfulness, uncertainty and perhaps suspiciousness as well. Frankly, it seemed to be a very common thing with him.

Seeing that there was no real room to argue if he didn't agree, she sighed in resignment. Actually, she wouldn't even truly mind if someone saw her in underwear. After all she was 28, not 18. And technically speaking, he wasn't even a guy in the first place. Still, she would have preferred some privacy for once, if only for a short time.

"Alright. I'll stay. But no gawking. That's the condition." She exhorted, raising one finger at the last words. Surprisingly enough, he gave a nod, even though a curt one. Did he really get her point or was he just pretending? Time would tell soon enough, she guessed.

For one more time, she crouched over the running water, this time paying no heed if her trousers touched its surface or not. While rubbing the lots of grime and filth off the jacket, she listened to the gravel's clattering and shuffling that gave away the titan's movements. A short peek revealed that he had indeed seated himself behind her while facing the opposite direction. Yet she caught him sneak a peek over his shoulder, too.

She did her best to shoot him a warning look, yet had to restrain herself from smiling. Of course she had already foreseen that he wouldn't be able to sit still just like that, as it seemingly went against his inquisitive nature. By now, he was far too predictable for his own good.

"You know what?" She finally spoke as she deemed the jacket clean enough, wringing off most of the water before walking over to him. "While you're here anyways, you might as well make yourself useful."

With that, she slapped the wet cloth over his thigh, grinning at her ingenuity. It didn't stay there for long though, as after one second of consideration, he pinched it up to turn it in between his fingers in investigation. Judging by the many times that his thumb passed over it, the insignia on its back seemed to be most fascinating.

"Just don't break it, alright? It's stitched by hand, so there's real work woven into it."

Her voice then turned serious again as she started to unbutton her blouse.

"Now. Turn. I mean it."

She waited for him to follow the order before turning her own back and pulling off the shirt. There was a painful sting on her back as it was practically peeled off the skin, and she was almost surprised to find the large stain of crimson on its back. She'd already forgotten about the cut from earlier, but judging by the amount of colour, it must have been longer and deeper than anticipated. Once she was done washing the clothes, she better made sure to clean it, lest it became infected.

Her face became a focused one as she started to submerge the shirt. Cleaning the fabric from dried blood proved to be more difficult than expected, more so as she was ought to be careful about her movements. The last thing she wanted was the wound to reopen while she was bending over.

Needless to say, she practically jumped out of her skin when there was an inquisitive chirp right next to her.

"WHAT THE- " In a flash, she clung the soaked shirt tightly to her chest, doing her best to send daggers with her eyes instead. He had lowered his head to her level already, obviously not giving a shit about the fact that this was the exact opposite of subtle behaviour.

"What the hell did I just tell you!?" However, she then noticed that his gaze wasn't even fixed on her chest as she would have assumed, but on her lower back again, his head inching closer as if magically drawn to it.

"Urgh.. as I said before, there's no need to worry about the cut. It'll be fine, really." Perhaps he was too lost in thoughts, or simply didn't care about the implied rejection, because he didn't intend to stop in his approach. Only as she took a step backwards did he look up to meet her eyes. Much to her surprise, he then lightly shook his head, raising one hand to point at her waist again. She could have sworn it was the exact same spot as before, but as she followed the direction to her side she finally noticed it.

"Oh...! This!" She pointed at one spot on her side that was of a slightly darker tone than the rest of her skin. Just above her hip, two lines of the same shade were merging to a triangular shape, alongside even more lines that trailed up her side and around her torso. "Is that what you mean?"

He nodded with a surge of enthusiasm, eyes close to sparkling in excitement. It was then, that two thoughts clicked together.

"Wait a sec. Is this what you wanted to see earlier this day? When I bent over to untie my shoes?"

The excitement in his eyes subsided a bit, probably reminded of the moment he hurt her. But she hardly noticed as her thoughts trailed even further into the past.

"and is this…" she pointed again "the same thing you wanted to look at when I was kneeling down to investigate my cuts?"

Now reminded by yet another unpleasant moment with him, his ears drooped even further in remorse. But he nodded. Weakly, but definitely.

"Huh… guess that explains some things. And I thought you picked that exact moment because you enjoyed scaring the shit out of me."

In an oddly familiar way, he rolled his eyes at this, adding a grumble that was difficult to dissect.

"Well, anyways. These lines are... or rather were my three-dimensional manoeuvre gear. The straps are a real pain, but it's the most valuable gear of the Scouts.." At the statement, she straightened up, her chin raised insignificantly.

He only tilted his head in question.

"Right. Scouts. Uhmm… so, it's basically a group of humans, the ones that are brave enough to go on expeditions outside the Walls. Thanks to our gear, it's possible for us to soar through the air and dodge attacks. Or.. most of us, at least. Sadly enough, we still have to cope with a high rate of losses…" For a moment, her look darkened as she followed the thought.

"Anyways, it's not like we're utterly defenceless. Thanks to our blades, we're well capable fight and ki—"

"Eh.. to… investigate titans. I mean." She stumbled over her own words, but thankfully enough he didn't seem to notice the diversion. Even though she couldn't quite put a finger on her motives, it was probably wiser not to tell him of what her kind used to do to his.

She waited for another reaction, or question, or anything but that failed to appear. As he only continued to stare at her hip, she finally cleared her throat. After all, she had been standing there half-naked all the while.

"Now if your questions are answered, a certain someone still likes to get clean here." She pointed back towards his designated waiting place, drawing a circle with one finger to make clear what she wanted. Only as she had reassured herself of his attention caught on some birds in the trees, did she put aside the still wet blouse to wash her pants as well. That done, she walked over to him to make use of his heat once more.

"Not. A. Glimpse." She said as his ear flicked up in curiosity, her voice close to icy now. It seemed to fulfil its intended effect though, as his eyes remained where they were this time, even as she deposited the clothes on the heated skin again.

Using some steppingstones just for the fun of it, she hopped over to a larger rock that was close to the river's centre before checking on the titan for one final time. To her actual surprise, he had remained unmoved in the same position, now holding the shirt in scrutiny. If that was all it took to keep him occupied, it was easier than expected.

She gritted her teeth as she submerged into the icy water. With her skin already cold from being drenched, it didn't feel quite as cold as expected, yet she couldn't deny that she was extra quick in get off the lots of filth.

It couldn't have been more than a few minutes, yet when she finally stepped to the shore again, her jaw dropped open as she stared.

The titan was gone.

Half-way expecting some sort of surprise prank, she frantically turned her head in search for a looming figure. But there was none. Absolutely nothing.

He couldn't have just disappeared on her, could he?

Combing the woods, she searched for any signs of movement, but as her search remained fruitless she could feel panic slowly creeping up under her skin. If he was gone, what should she do? How were she to ever find out of this valley without him? How were she to survive if she encountered any titans out here? Suddenly, it became all too clear to her just how much she depended on this guy, no matter the painful realisation of her pitiful situation.

When the panic was just about to take the upper hand, she finally caught a glimpse of something skin-coloured between the dark branches.

Gods above, she had never been so relieved to see a titan before.

Taking deep breath to calm down her heart, she walked over to the shore were her clothes had been put together in a loose heap. Satisfyingly enough, her plan proved to have succeeded as they were dry on the touch.

Once dressed, she walked over to the titan while untangling the last knots of her hair. He was crouching low with back arched, and even trying to hide behind some trees in an unsurprisingly piteous attempt. But judging by his unmoved stance and highly attentive ears, he must have found something really interesting. Or dangerous.

Or both.

Assuming a cautious step herself, she made her way back into the forest. It was yet unclear if she was predator or prey, but with the titan to her side she was ready to take up any challenge.