The ceremony and funeral service for the Scout Regiment's fallen soldiers was a somber and respectful affair, one that had Yavena shedding a few tears and regretting all of the lives that she had personally led to their ends. It was difficult to kneel in front of Historia as she read each name off of a long list: many of those names, Yavena recognized.
Many of those names, Yavena had killed.
But there was nothing to be done for them now, except to honor their memory in the coming days, and continue to provide meaning towards their sacrifices.
There were only two additional noteworthy points to the service on that day: the first being that Marlo and Hitch were able to catch up and reconcile from the poor way that they had parted three months ago, and the second being that Eren had clearly received another nightmare or vision.
It had occurred when Historia was awarding them their medals. The process was supposed to be a simple one: the Queen would bestow medals upon each person and extend her hand, which the recipient would kiss.
But when it had been Eren's turn, he had frozen, his hand trembling within Historia's… and there had been a haunted look upon his face, one even more severe than that he had worn during the meeting two days previously.
Whatever he had seen this second time, Eren did not say. Not even to Yavena, whom he had declared the one closest to possibly being able to understand.
Yavena's wounds were healed within the next twelve days. During that time, the news had spread that everyone who lived within the Walls were called Subjects of Ymir, and that the humans who lived upon a faraway continent wanted nothing to do with them at best, and wanted them eaten by Titans at worst.
The reception of such information went about as well as both Erwin and Yavena had expected; some citizens accepted it and moved on. Some laughed it off. Others were angry. A small minority didn't believe it at all and claimed it was some government conspiracy.
In one thing, the civilians were all the same: the news didn't change their day-to-day life. That was more encouraging than Yavena had thought it would be.
Spring was fully upon the world before long, and with the new season emerged the news that the Scout Regiment was recruiting once again. Seeing as the world within the Walls was still basking in the success of the reclamation of Wall Maria, there were more recruits than anyone—even Erwin—had planned for.
Yavena was swiftly put in charge of them, to be assisted by Hange and Levi. There were over sixty-five new recruits from the next graduating class of cadets; more than the Scout Regiment had received than ever before. Seeing as there were no Squad Leaders, Yavena decided that it would be best to put aside the idea of having squads until they were trained up.
The Executioner From Hell was doing good work, 'decapitating' large numbers of Titans each week. Word on exactly how many was always sent by the Wall Garrison, and Hange was always delighted by the fact that their device was working so well.
"I have the theory that most of the Titans are within Wall Maria," said Hange, when Yavena asked how long it would take for the device to kill all of the remaining Titans. "But we can't guarantee that they will all walk willingly into The Executioner From Hell for us."
And so it was that after about two months of rebuilding and reconstructing, Erwin called Yavena and Squad Levi to his office. As soon as they were altogether, the Commander said, "In two days, I will be sending the nine of you to scout beyond Wall Rose and kill any Titans that have not yet been taken care of by Hange's device. It will be Special Operation 36."
While Yavena was not surprised by this order, she was pleasantly surprised that she was being included, seeing as she was no longer a member of Squad Levi.
"Has Hange given you an estimate as to how many Titans may be waiting for us?" asked Levi, who crossed his arms and leaned against the wall of the office.
"Anywhere from a dozen to three dozen," Erwin answered. He was standing as tall and straight as usual, though there was great fatigue upon the lines of his face. "Enough that if we wish to return the citizens to their hometowns before the end of spring, we will have to take direct action."
Yavena knew how important it was to return the citizens of Wall Maria to their homes. There would still be plenty of time for them to farm and provide food for the people in the Walls if they were settled again by the beginning of summer. If another two to three months went by, however, it would be likely that another food shortage would appear come late autumn and winter.
"We'll get the job done, Erwin," said Yavena, saluting sharply.
"I know you will. You'll be in charge of the operation, Yavena," Erwin replied. He regarded her quite seriously… as though he knew something that she did not. "We have a general suspicion that the Titans are lingering to the south-west. Use any means at your disposal to be rid of them."
The Commander nodded towards Eren with this last; an unspoken permission for Eren to use his Titan ability if it was so needed.
Yavena had been hoping that the prospect of killing Titans might bring some semblance of a smile back to Eren's face, but she was wrong. Ever since the funeral for the soldiers lost during the Scout Regiment's last operation, he had been distant.
Whatever Eren had seen, had dreamed of… it had changed him.
That wouldn't stop her from trying to get him to remember his passion and drive, however. As soon as Erwin released the nine of them and the others began giving Marlo advice—this would be Marlo's first special operation—Yavena stepped up to Eren and threw her arm around his shoulder.
"It'll be just like old times, eh, Eren?" she asked, jabbing a finger at his chest with a grin upon her face.
Eren pat her atop the head—something he knew playfully irritated her seeing as he was taller than she. "Yeah. Just like old times."
His smile was not convincing, and neither did it reach the depths of his eyes.
Two days later, Squad Levi was beyond the Walls again. Yavena was gladdened to have this as a break, seeing as she'd been watching after and checking in on the new recruits for the last two months, and hadn't had much time to spend with her friends in the meantime.
The day was an easy one, yet oddly pallid for the middle of spring. The clouds above cast a white sheen upon the earth, as the sun was just barely peeking out from behind them. Yavena knew that if they continued on this path to the south-west, they would soon come across a Forest of Giant Trees; the same one that she and the others had rescued Eren and Historia from, a little over six months prior.
It seemed that she wasn't the only one to recognize this. Mikasa's expression was cold and set in stone, much like how Eren's always was now.
After they could no longer see the looming figure of Wall Rose behind them, Yavena looked to the other members of the squad and shouted, "Spread out slightly! You know the smoke signals—fire a green one if you spot anything odd!"
"Aye!" shouted the others, and they began to split into their previously designated groups: Sasha, Conny, Jean, and Marlo, then Eren, Armin, and Mikasa.
Once they were gone, Levi looked over to Yavena and asked, "You think it wise to send Bowl-Cut with the other three instead of keeping him here?"
"Aye. Marlo is friends with them. They'll keep each other safe—and he needs to remember that the two of us won't always be in the immediate vicinity, like how we weren't in Shiganshina. He'll be fine," she responded.
Levi nodded and dropped the matter, appeased by her answer.
They rode on for a little while. Yavena was now seated upon a new horse. She was a beautiful steed, with a shiny coat of almost pure black, save for a white spot around the nose of her snout. The horse had a gentle demeanor, though it was not yet named… largely because Yavena still missed Courage.
Only twenty minutes later did a green smoke signal fly through the air, from the direction of where Sasha, Conny, Jean, and Marlo had ridden. The two officers immediately echoed their call and spurred their horses in that direction.
When they arrived, they saw Marlo kneeling upon the ground, a troubled look on both his and Jean's faces.
"Oye, Captain? Section-Commander?" called Marlo, who was waving towards the ground. "What the hell is this?"
Both Yavena and Levi's horses trotted to what he was staring at; it seemed to be a worn path, some sort of unofficial road… made by large footprints.
"Well, that certainly means Titans," said Yavena. She swung herself off of her new horse and knelt down beside the dirt. "What would Hange think?"
She was quiet for a moment, using all of her brainpower to try and see this discovery through the eyes of her best friend. It didn't seem like the path was brand new—the Titans that had made it weren't likely to be nearby. But neither was it faded. It had probably been made within the past couple of months.
More horses rode up, signaling the arrival of Eren, Armin, and Mikasa.
"What did we find?" asked Eren,
He was quickly shushed by Jean. "Hold on a moment! The Section-Commander is thinking."
Yavena couldn't keep back a tiny smile upon hearing the exaggerated groan from Eren's direction. Knowing she couldn't get distracted, she shuffled around, aware that the rest of her friends and comrades were watching her actions with bemused expressions.
"Eld would know what to make of this, too," she murmured under her breath. "What would you say, Eld, if you were here?"
Something caught her eye: a footprint that was clearer than the others. She sat next to it—the track was about the same length as her arm, from her shoulder to her fingertips.
"Well, Four-Eyes?" said Levi, who was standing above her with crossed arms. "Got anything to share with the rest of us?"
She rose to her feet and stretched, taking care to shoot Levi a sardonic look as she said, "It seems a number of eight to ten meter Titans passed through here sometime within the past two months. You can tell by the size of the footprint—and these tracks aren't fresh, otherwise we likely would've been attacked by now. But they were also made sometime during the spring, because if it had been during the winter, grass would've grown over them."
Hearing the ensuing silence, Yavena turned back to her friends. All of them had thoughtful looks upon their faces, save for Levi, who was as impassive as ever. She smirked, taking care to exhibit it in the exact way that he would, and declared, "Satisfied?"
"Not yet," he answered. "Which way are they going? We need to know so we can track them down."
Yavena turned back to the dirt and bit the inside of her lip. She walked over the dips in the dirt and nearly tripped. The indent was deeper than she'd expected.
Then she blinked and knelt down again. One of her hands brushed the ground; she swiped it off onto her cloak, frowning at the lingering dust that stained her palm.
She pointed south-west. "They're heading away from the Wall. The indents in the ground are deepest at the back of the heel, look." Yavena gestured to the unsteady holes in the ground. "Unless these Titans have made it a habit to walk backwards, there are more that The Executioner From Hell hasn't killed yet."
Marlo and Jean both chuckled at her little joke, which gratified her indeed.
"Get back on your horse," said Levi. The flash that ran through his eyes was tinged with impressment. "It's only mid-morning—we'll trail them as far as we can and kill them if possible."
"What happened to you no longer being able to give me orders?" Yavena muttered under her breath, and only so Levi could hear. But she was not bothered by his command, for two reasons: the first being that she would've said the same thing, and the second being that it brought her back to a year prior, when she was still a Lieutenant under command of Captain Levi, conducting special operations alongside her friends… a simpler time.
Levi shot her a look and his traditional, "Tch," before setting off.
The path continued on for a significant amount of time, still to the south-west. She couldn't help wondering how many Titans had passed through this area in order to make the dirt road. It had to be at least ten of them, but she would still be surprised if it was more than twenty…
She couldn't help looking over her shoulder to see what the rest of them were thinking. Most of them had neutral expressions—but Eren seemed troubled.
He was always troubled nowadays.
Yavena sighed to herself and returned her attentions to the faded, Titan-made road. If she had to guess, she would say that there were twelve of those Titans that had made this road; nothing Squad Levi wouldn't be able to handle.
But then she thought of something. Something that could change the course of a fight, should they locate their quarry.
"It's possible that most or all of the Titans we're hunting are Abnormal."
She felt seven pairs of eyes lock onto her back. It was Marlo who asked, "How do you know?"
"Because normal Titans would congregate towards the Walls, once they caught the scent of so many humans in Trost District. The fact that these Titans did not do the same lends credence to the idea that they don't act like we expect them to. Hence, Abnormal."
Seeing as this was only Marlo's second excursion beyond the Wall, he was still relatively new. But he had been training well in the meantime, and he seemed able to shrug off the fear easier than before. Luckily his dedication to helping the Scout Regiment and humankind had not eroded the same way. And he was always asking questions if he should ever be uncertain on something; he had a penchant for learning.
He almost reminded her of Gunther, in a way.
"How many do you think are waiting for us?" asked Armin.
Yavena shrugged. "I'd say at least eight. It's possible there are more. We'll be able to take care of it, but keep an eye out for anything strange that might prove to hinder us."
She was met with serious nods of affirmation, and they continued on.
It wasn't until the borders of the giant forest were in view that Yavena called for a brief halt. The pathway seemed to be directed straight into the giant trees, and something in the depths of her stomach told her that those Titans were cowering within that forest.
"We'll take ten minutes to let the horses rest and make a plan," said Yavena, allowing her horse to graze upon some of the overgrown grass. She stepped towards Armin. "Would you help me do so? You're the best strategist we have, right up there with Hange and Erwin."
Armin flushed somewhat, but he nodded all the same. "Aye, Section-Commander. Whatever you need."
A small smile appeared on Yavena's face, if only because he was still so charming; she had once thought of Armin as softer than the rest of his friends, and in the best way possible. It was nice to see that despite the chaos they had endured for the last number of months, he was still able to push aside being battle-hardened.
"I find it likely that the Titans will be spread out throughout the forest," said Yavena. She unfurled a map and spread it upon the ground, trying to not cake it in dirt. "It might be more efficient if we split the nine of us into two groups: we'll send Eren and Mikasa in one group and Levi in the other, seeing as those three are our best bet for killing Pure Titans."
The frown that appeared on Armin's face was light, but insistent. "Are you sure we should split up? I feel like the Titans might be sticking together…"
"Oh? There have never been records of Titans congregating together in large groups for extended periods of time. What makes you say that?"
Armin pointed towards the pathway they were sitting beside, the one that revealed countless footprints of all shapes and sizes imprinted into the ground. "We've been riding on horseback for almost an hour, and the footprints suggest that the number of Titans has been consistent for the whole time. It almost seems like they're… in some sort of pack, or coven."
Yavena's eyes widened. She nudged Armin with her shoulder. "See, that's why I asked for your input. You're probably right. So you think we should stick together, then? It's a lot of ground to cover in one group…"
"We can prepare to split up at any moment's notice, but it might be a good idea to stay as one group until we determine it's necessary," said Armin, who was reflecting the grin that was on his Section-Commander's face. "There are only nine of us for this special operation, after all… that's not a lot, even though you, Eren, Mikasa, and Captain Levi are four of them."
She couldn't help from laughing somewhat at that; Yavena didn't think she was anywhere near as impressive as Eren, Mikasa, or Levi, but she was grateful for the comparison nonetheless. "Well, we can have the groups prepared ahead of time. I'll go with you, Eren, Mikasa, and Marlo while Levi takes Jean, Sasha, and Conny?"
"That sounds good. Eren might need the extra soldier for protection, just in case, and I think it would be good to keep Marlo close so we can keep an eye on him." Armin pointed towards the forest borders on the map. "It's possible that the Titans may have moved beyond the trees, however. If that's the case, I'm not sure we'll be able to pursue without extra supplies and personnel."
"Agreed. Thanks for your help, Armin," said Yavena, and she truly meant it. She had been unable to spend much time with him recently due to the ongoing work that was rebuilding the Scout Regiment with Erwin, but even this little moment where they were able to plan an operation together was better than nothing.
The two of them rose to their feet, effectively gathering the attention of the remaining seven members of the mission.
"So?" asked Conny, expectantly crossing his arms.
"We go in as one group. Armin and I suspect that the Titans are stuck fast together, which would be odd, but seeing as we're likely dealing with Abnormal Titans it's not the strangest thing we've ever heard. Should we need to, we'll split up into two groups: Levi, you'll be taking Sasha, Conny, and Jean. The rest of you will go with me. Any questions?"
Yavena kept herself standing tall, knowing that was what a leader needed to do. She had grown quite used to ordering around the new recruits and making herself someone to be both relied upon and respected, but this was the first time in a while that she was fully in charge of her own friends… and it was certainly the first time she was in charge of Levi.
In a mission setting, that was.
Hearing that no one had anything to input, Yavena nodded towards them and swung herself back into the saddle of her horse. "Come on, then. We'll leave the horses on the outskirts of the forest and travel by omni-directional gear once we reach the trees."
The others trailed in her footsteps, and then they were on their way to the same forest that they had visited only six months before.
As they approached the emerald green boughs of twenty meter trees, a familiar feeling of ice crept through Yavena's veins. Every now and then she would see what she thought to be the orange of a Scout Regiment jacket, or the skeleton of a horse half-buried underneath a new mound of earth.
Based on the way Jean and Armin were looking around, their faces pale and haunted, Yavena knew she wasn't just imaging things.
"Shit," muttered Levi. His gaze was pointed towards a large pile of bones bleached white in the sun. Yavena couldn't tell if they belonged to horse, man… or both.
"Yeah," she said, trying not to sound too bitter. She hadn't forgotten she led the charge in Erwin's stead. "It was a day of many casualties."
Levi said nothing more, but Yavena could feel his eyes upon her all the same.
They reached the entrance to the forest, and not a moment too soon. If she had seen even one more corpse of one of her former comrades, her breakfast would've threatened to make a reappearance. But she swallowed a deep breath and stood upon her horse's saddle, shouting, "To omni-directional gear! Let's go!"
Yavena felt as though Armin's earlier suspicions had even more viability once she noted how the path of Titan tracks entered the forest. It was difficult to keep an eye on it when she also needed to be aware of where she was flying—she lowered herself to the ground, ordering the remainder of her charges to keep an eye ahead and to the sides for any signs of enemies.
The trees were thicker and larger than Yavena seemed to remember them. It probably wasn't helped by the fact that there were lush, fresh leaves upon each branch now compared to the last time. A sharp twig cracked across her face as she flew, tearing a piece of skin away from her cheek.
And then there was a rumbling under the ground…
"Shit!" she yelped, and Yavena forced herself far up into the air as some of the ground split beneath her. A large hand was reaching, higher and higher, as though its owner knew exactly where she was despite its head still being unearthed—
Yavena thrust her swords towards its fingers, slicing them free from its hand. Before she could follow up its ambush with a counterattack of her own, Levi was already arcing down its arm, leaving scarlet lacerations in crescent moon patterns. The Titan's head barely even emerged from the ground before it was cut down.
Everyone stopped upon Yavena's command and took refuge in one of the particularly thick branches closer to the canopy. Her dark eyes were fixed upon the body of the Titan; it was already steaming, a few stray rays of light shining through the leaves to highlight the nuances of its disfigured face.
"Can Titans hibernate?" asked Sasha.
Yavena bit the inside of her cheek. "It's possible. Abnormal behaviors might never be fully recorded, much less studied in full." She glanced towards Levi and nodded in thanks.
"Do you think the rest of them will be waiting like that?" Marlo said. His voice was strong, but there was a thin layer of uncertainty hiding behind his façade of normalcy.
"I think it's possible a few others will, but not all." Yavena gestured towards the trees surrounding them. "There aren't many places for the Titans to lie down like that, with how thick this forest is. The tree roots would block them. No… I think the majority of them are still farther ahead. With luck, they won't be hiding like this little bastard."
She glared back down towards the Titan in question. Even though she knew this creature had once been a human—an Eldian like herself—she still felt so much hate. And the worst part was that Yavena didn't know what she hated more: the Titans for taking away so many of her comrades, or the soulless people beyond the Wall who sent them their way in the first place.
"Let's keep moving," she said, tearing her gaze away from the melting body. "We only have a few hours before we need to start heading back to Trost, and I don't intend on failing Erwin today."
All nine soldiers were off again, even more wary during their ventures than before. Yavena kept her grip tight upon the hilts of her blades, readying herself for another ambush, just in case.
But it turned out there wasn't another surprise attack; what there was, was a clearing within which at least a dozen Titans were sitting, arrayed in an almost perfect circle. The moment that the members of the Scout Regiment emerged, however, they launched to their feet and started rushing forth, grubby hands extended to try and pluck them out of the air.
Orders were not needed. Yavena dove towards the ground, picking a few small Titans out from the throng of eight to ten meter Titans that surrounded them. She utilized the legs of the large ones like she would with the big-ass trees of the forest; as little more than anchors for the convenience of her omni-directional gear.
The little Titans reached out to grab her, but Yavena sliced off their hands at the wrist. One lunged to snap at her with its teeth—she knew it was coming. The small ones were always the same: once their limbs were severed, they only had their jaws as weapons. She ducked out of the way and cut through the ankles of the one closest to her.
Her adversary collapsed face-first onto the ground, providing the perfect opportunity for Yavena to dice the back of its neck. Only once it was steaming did she relocate to the trees so she might regroup and attack another Titan.
When she landed on a branch and wiped at her forehead, she noted that two other Titans had already been killed: one by Mikasa, and the other by Jean. A little ways to her left, Marlo was tackling another alongside Conny—a larger Titan was running in their direction, but Eren was quick to put a stop to it by rearing past its backside and digging his blades into its nape.
Yavena heard someone cry out. It was Sasha, whose cables had been grabbed by one of the smaller Titans that she hadn't yet gotten to kill.
"Sasha!" she cried. She dove forth and performed the first step of her specialty: separating its hands from its body.
Sasha began falling, but just before she could hit the ground, someone intercepted her in midair—Mikasa. Knowing that she was safe, Yavena turned back to the tiny Titan and noticed that its jaws were extended.
She gasped and sliced through the hinges of those jaws, hoping to weaken the muscles around it. It was just enough; the Titan took her leg in its mouth, but did not have the strength or pressure to bite down. It simply nibbled at her, an unpleasantly gummy feeling.
"OYE!" shouted a familiar voice, one normally so composed and yet now so filled with rage. "Let her go!"
Marlo whirled past, fury unlike he had ever before revealed accompanying his repressed fear. It was truly a terrifying combination, one that made for a soldier with no restraint—his kill was messy, splattering a shower of Titan blood across both himself and Yavena.
Now that the Titan was dead, Yavena tugged her leg free of its mouth; Marlo reared around again and seized her hand, pulling her after him as another two Titans turned in their direction.
"Section-Commander!" he yelled, brown eyes wide. "Are you all right? Your leg, it isn't—"
"It's all right, Marlo!" Yavena interrupted, shooting him a calm grin. "I managed to take out the muscles of its jaw before it bit into me. It was no more dangerous than a teething baby… but your intervention was quite timely and appreciated. Thank you."
He seemed relieved by the news and let her go from there, so they might both attend places where they were needed.
As Yavena surveyed the battlefield once more, she was unsurprised to note that the fight was going well; there were only six Titans left standing and no injuries among her people. Even as she watched, two more were cut down by Levi.
But then she felt the ground trembling—a sign that, even after two to three months of rest, she wouldn't mistake for anything else.
"More are coming!" shouted Yavena, extending her arm to the south, where the trees were most heavily shaking. "Restock your blades and prepare for a second onslaught!"
No sooner had she finished this statement than another eight Titans roared through the trees. These ones were bigger than the last, and were certainly the ones responsible for the formation of the pathway that she and the others had followed into this place. Not only were they bigger, they were faster—one was lunging out for Jean, who roared and only barely managed to dive out of its reach.
The trees were splitting, some of the smaller ones uprooted from where they'd been growing. More Titans were pouring into the clearing—
"Yavena!"
She glanced down to see Eren was waving with one hand, the other close to his mouth. Having caught her attention, he shouted, "Shall I do it?"
"Whenever you want, Eren!"
No other words were required. Eren dove off to the side of the clearing, to a place where none of his friends would be caught in the crossfire of the blast, and bit into his hand.
That flash of yellow-orange, the one that Yavena had come to associate with a Titan-Shifter, filled the glen. For one deceptive moment, the forest looked like it had when it had been autumn; and then the illusion was gone.
Eren roared—not a sound easily forgotten—and turned towards the biggest and ugliest Titan that had just appeared, his fists extended. The other Titan caught his hands, but Eren began forcing it back, dragging new ditches into the ground below, clearly hoping to give his allies extra space to maneuver.
Yavena's eyes flickered across the fight, searching for the place she would be most needed. Mikasa and Levi were cleaning up the remaining Titans from earlier. Jean, Sasha, Marlo, and Conny had intercepted the first two of the large Titans that had just appeared.
"Armin," she whispered. "Where are you, Armin?"
Her gaze stopped upon one of the large Titans. It was swatting around its own head like it was getting rid of an irritating housefly; Yavena could see the flash of blond hair and knew it was Armin.
She exhaled sharply and was about to turn away, but that was when she heard a yelp from his general direction.
The Titan had finally intercepted Armin and swatted him against the trunk of a tree—
"ARMIN!" she shrieked. Yavena could see that the Titan was reaching out for him, but his eyes were closed. She had to make a choice: to kill the Titan and hope that Armin survived the fall, or to grab him from midair and risk both of them being grabbed and crushed in its palm.
The choice was a lot easier to make than Yavena had anticipated. Her eyes narrowed, calculating the trajectory at which she needed to descend to grab Armin as he fell.
And then he was in her arms again, though a shadow loomed over them both. Yavena glanced up, gasping as she realized how close the Titan's hand already was. She didn't know if she would have enough time to get them free of its grasp…
Another roar split the air, and suddenly the hand—or more accurately, the Titan's entire arm—had been ripped from its body. Standing protectively ahead of them was Eren, his fists already raised, ready for another bout.
Yavena wouldn't take the opportunity for granted. She rocketed directly upwards, towards the branches of one of the tallest trees still standing, one that wouldn't be uprooted even if every remaining Titan tried to do so.
Her eyes raked over Armin's face; he had sustained a few minor cuts, all of which were already emitting light trails of steam.
She gasped. For a brief second, she had forgotten that Armin was now a Titan-Shifter…
Just as Yavena was thinking this, Armin coughed and opened his eyes. He groaned and threw a hand towards his ribs—then his blue eyes noted Yavena kneeling above him, and a faint smile traced his mouth. "S-section-Commander. What happened?"
"You got knocked out of the air by one of the big-asses," said Yavena. She grasped his other hand and squeezed it lightly. "Stay out of the fight. You've done enough. Even though your wounds heal, having bruised ribs is going to hurt. I'll let you know when it's over."
Armin did not argue with her orders, a minor relief. She glanced at him one last time before leaping off of the branch they'd been settled upon and rejoining the fight.
The others had done some serious work during the short minute that Yavena had been gone. All of the smaller Titans were now little more than dust and steam, and only five of the large ones were remaining. Yavena directed herself towards the last one that was running unchecked; she noticed that Jean was dedicating himself towards the same target.
"Jean!" she shouted. He caught her gaze, the manic snarl upon his face vanishing like smoke. "Shoulder-shatter! Let's do it!"
He nodded, aligning himself with the Titan's right shoulder just as she aligned herself with the left. They attacked the target at the same time, their blades digging deep into the skin and tendons that kept its arms in place. Each of their strokes were so powerful, they severed the arms completely, causing them to collide into dirt.
Pursuing their pathway was Mikasa, who directed her cables into the collarbone of the newly deformed Titan and swung herself backwards towards its neck; her kills were always clean, precise. She only needed one swift stroke of the blade to fell it.
A puff of breath left Yavena's chest as she glanced around. Eren had just ripped off the head of another Titan—Levi was swiping the Titan blood that had not yet evaporated from his blades. Conny had just bellowed in frustration and fury and killed one of the last two Titans remaining.
Seeing that there was one Titan left, Yavena checked her gas tank and went forth to finish it off. Its limbs were already hewn, although based on the fact that they were growing back, the action had been done over thirty seconds ago.
"Oops," said Marlo from below, with a sheepish smile. "Guess I missed the nape on that one… sorry."
Yavena laughed at this and lazily evaded an attempt of the Titan to bite at her in midair. She followed its aggression with some of her own: two pieces of ultra-hard steel raking into its skin.
Based on the startling quiet that settled over the forest glen, Yavena could only assume this was the last of that particular batch of Titans. Standing atop her last enemy's fallen corpse, she replaced her blades in their sheaths and gazed across the other eight with her hands on her hips.
"Armin!" she called, directing her gaze to the trees. "You can come down now! And Eren—you can leave Titan form."
Both of the young men obeyed her instructions; Armin zipped down from where he had been situated to stand beside his Section-Commander, while Eren's Titan released a jet of steam from the neck area. Eren extracted himself from the connecting muscle tissue and joined Yavena's side as well.
"Everyone all right?" asked Yavena, taking in her comrades' faces one by one. "No one got hurt? All limbs are intact?"
Jean chuckled with this last and nodded. "Aye, Yavena. Only minor wounds sustained here. We're all in one piece."
Yavena nodded and began to turn away—but then she stopped and narrowed her eyes. She had seen something; Jean was putting all of his weight on his left leg, and the smile that was on his face was more like a grimace than anything else. Next to him, Marlo was looking guilty…
"Jean," she said. She placed her hands on her hips. "What's the damage? And don't bother trying to hide it from me, I know you got hurt. It's written all over your face—and his." With this last, she pointed towards Marlo.
"Shit," he muttered, barely loud enough for Yavena to hear. But then he sighed and raised his voice, saying, "I might have rolled my ankle during one of those last attacks."
"He stopped me from getting my head bitten off," Marlo added, before either of his officers could speak. "I'd be dead without him."
A flush appeared on Jean's face, though he didn't say anything in response.
The admission reminded Yavena of that fight back in Trost District, nine months ago. She too had rolled her ankle, trying to save a friend that was protecting her.
"Let's get back to the border of the forest," said Yavena. "The medical supplies are with my horse. Will you be able to make it with omni-directional gear, Jean?"
He nodded and stood straighter. "Of course."
"Good. Then let's go—I don't think there are any other Titans nearby. They would've liked to greet us already if there were."
"Wait," said Levi, stepping forward with his usual scowl. "There may still be Abnormal Titans lingering in these parts. We should scout the area to be sure."
Yavena had quite forgotten about the possibility of Abnormals lingering about. Holding back a sigh, she glanced over the eight soldiers ahead of her: it seemed that Eren, Levi, and Mikasa were no worse for wear, which was good, as they three were the most elite Titan killers. It seemed that Sasha and Conny were in good shape as well… and should there be any Titans in the near vicinity of their horses, Yavena trusted that she, Marlo, and Armin would be able to protect Jean and take care of the threat.
"Levi," she said, turning towards him. "Take Eren, Sasha, Conny, and Mikasa and scout out the further areas. The rest of us will return to the horses and tend to any injuries. Be back within the hour, if possible."
He nodded and waved the four recruits named. "Let's go, brats."
They all dove towards the trees beyond save for Levi, who spared a glance back to Yavena with a message in his eyes that said: be careful.
She smiled and nodded to him, a promise that they would be fine.
Then he was gone, and Yavena turned back to the three young men beside her and said, "If we encounter any Titans along the way back, let us handle it, Jean. The last thing we want is for you to aggravate your ankle."
Thankfully, there were no Titans that had strayed from the bulk of the horde on the journey back north to where the horses were resting. Somewhere behind them, Yavena could hear the sound of combat once again—but it was a short-lived cacophony, one that ended with a rumble, which was presumably the fall of another Titan's body.
"Keep moving forward," she said. Marlo was glancing back over his shoulder worriedly. "We left it in their hands. Trust in their skills."
Marlo seemed to note that her words were directed his way; he nodded once in resolution and faced forward once again.
And then they were back at the place where their nine horses were catching up on some well-earned feeding time or rest. As soon as they were back, Yavena rushed towards her own horse and rummaged through its knapsacks for the medical supplies. In truth, she had no idea what would be needed other than a thick roll of cotton gauze to wrap Jean's ankle in… so she brought the whole bag just in case.
Yavena had him wrap an arm around her shoulder so he could sit down; Marlo swiftly did the same. Once Jean was sitting, Yavena took a spot next to him and unfastened the buckles of his boots.
"Think you'll be all right riding on your horse back to Trost?" she asked, keeping her hands steady.
"I'll be fine. Give me a week and I'll be back in shape."
"So long as you don't strain yourself," said Yavena, smiling as she wrapped the roll of cotton around his ankle. "I wish we had something better to treat this… I'm no medical officer, let me tell you that…"
Jean chuckled good-naturedly at this. He wasn't flinching, which led Yavena to hope that she wasn't hurting him on accident, at the very least.
When she finished with this, she sighed and looked to Jean. "Do you need anything? Water, a ration?"
"Water would be nice. Thank you."
She nodded and seized one of the canteens from their supplies, handing it down towards him. Jean took it and began to drink, and then there was silence across the four members of the Scout Regiment.
Yavena couldn't help the weight that settled across her chest upon gazing back out at the open prairie stretching out in front of them. They seemed to roll onwards, infinities upon infinities; nothing but tall grass the color of buckwheat… but Yavena knew that hidden within those bushes, those plains, were the bodies of many people whose names she knew.
"This war takes so much from us," said Yavena. She didn't mean for her voice to be as dark as it was, but it couldn't be helped. The shadows had seized her heart, and didn't seem to be in any hurry to let it go. "Good people are being lost left and right, all because of a hatred for something we didn't even do."
She could feel the sun blazing upon her back just her companions' eyes all were. Even though Yavena was feeling so much bitterness and disappointment for the situation that she and everyone else within the Walls was faced with, she could not let such negative feelings transfer into the mindsets of her friends.
"I'm glad that, at the very least, you lot have stayed with me," she said. And she meant it, too. Her eyes darted over them: Armin, Marlo, Jean. "You've made me proud, but I fear this fight is far from over. Do me a favor, until it is finished: stay alive. I'll make it an order if I have to. Got it?"
There was no immediate response. But it was Armin's voice that was the first to reply, saying, "We'll be with you all the way, Yavena."
Yavena smiled and faced away from the place where corpses were hidden and buried… back to her friends still breathing. "Good. I'm glad to hear it. Now help me think up a name for my horse."
Marlo laughed at the sudden change in conversation, but the three of them obliged. A number of names were tossed around, some in the same venue as Courage's name had been, some that were more lighthearted. Some of Yavena's favorites were Ghost, Pride, and Memory, although none of these three seemed to quite fit, either.
She sighed and gazed over the tall grasses again…
"I'm still advocating for Misty," said Jean, holding up his hands as if in surrender. "I think it's a great name for a horse."
Yavena laughed. She didn't disagree, it would be a good name for a horse. Just not her horse.
Her eyes left focus for a brief moment; she saw the bodies of the previous recruits lying upon the ground, even though they weren't actually there. It was a mirage, or perhaps a memory—one that made Yavena's throat close up and a burning take over her eyes.
She blinked once, and the image was gone.
"You all right, Yavena?" asked Armin, who had reached out for her hand and clasped it within his own.
But Yavena did not immediately answer. She was thinking of all those recruits, the ones who preceded the ones she was in charge of now: Jacinda, Lydia, Mack, Orin, Lukas, Jon, Renée, Veronica…
"Meaning."
The three young men stared at her.
"Come again?" asked Marlo.
Yavena looked back towards them, having found an answer for what her horse's name would be. "Three months ago, I convinced the recruits to follow me into almost certain death; a trip that only Floch and I returned from alive. I told them that they would be remembered by those who still lived… that both their lives and their deaths would have meaning. That's what I'm going to name my horse: Meaning. It'll be… something else to honor them by, no matter how small."
She knew that they had been informed of what had happened on the opposite side of the Wall during that last mission. As one, all three of them seemed to melt, ever so slightly, at the sentiment behind her words.
"I think that's an excellent name," said Armin.
The sound of mechanical whirring signaled that Levi and the others were returning from their scouting. Yavena stood up to greet them, though even before she could ask for a report, Levi was saying, "We killed three Abnormal Titans in the forest and scoured for more. I think that was all of them."
"Erwin and Hange will be pleased," said Yavena, offering him an approving smile. "Good work, all of you. Let's get back to headquarters."
Everyone began making their final preparations to return to the Walls: taking a sip of water, patting their horse on the snout, checking in on their friends. Yavena walked over to Levi and bestowed a quick kiss upon his temple, which earned her one of the soft looks that she adored.
And then they were off again, riding into the oncoming dusk of evening.
Hello again, everyone. Thanks again so very much for reading. I really do apologize for the sporadic updates: but I have some good news (and maybe some bad).
The good news is I put in my two weeks' notice at my job, so I won't have to worry about being super busy! The bad news is I'm moving in December, an hour away from where I am now- so I'll have THAT to contend with, too. I'm really hopeful that once January hits, I'll be able to resume a semblance of a schedule again. :)
Thank you guys. You're the best. Let me know what you thought of this chapter! I'm going to be filling in some of the years that pass between Seasons 3 and 4, because there's a lot of time to be examined and explored there! Hehe