I don't own Attack on Titan: just my OC's and the plot.
The Awakening
Chapter 18: First Move
847, July, somewhere in the Marian forest:
"So, basically you can see dead people with these?" Pascal raised an eyebrow, as he looked over the small blue crystal sitting in his palm.
:In a way, they can pick up a number of different spiritual entities: Shadow spelt out. He then gently clasped his palms together, and with the markings on his hands and wrists glowing, a more radiant flash of blue light emanated out from the gaps in his hands. He then opened both palms to reveal several tiny triangular crystals, each about the size of a child's palm with a hole in the middle, and covered in the same strange markings that decorated the god-titan's bodies. Shyla, Fox, Josefa and Jaye reached over the side of Shadow's hand to grab their own crystal, while Gale, Poppy and Belle grabbed the last three.
"So this is what the spirit world looks like? ..." Bryson thought aloud as he held the stone to his right eye, and gazed through the hole. Instead of seeing the forest as it was, everything was tinted the same shade of pale blue: making the whole forest seem as if it were bathed in the dimming light of the twilight hours, with no sun to be seen. All around, balancing on the leaves of the trees and other plants, hidden among the roots and blades of grass, and flitting and floating through the air like insects and dandelion seeds, were tiny humanoid-shaped flames no bigger than an inch or so: pale as starlight and surrounded by a greenish aura that trailed like smoke as they moved silently about. It was mesmerizing to watch, and as he lowered the crystal from his eye, Bryson couldn't help but smile as he gazed up at Shadow: "Just when I thought you couldn't surprise me anymore, you manage to come with yet another head-scratcher"
"What'd you expect?" Ariana grinned from where she sat atop Shadow's shoulder, undoing the knot to the cord that held her concealment stone around her neck, and slipping the new crystal on alongside it: "He knows all kinds of magical things, I thought you'd be used to that by now Bryson?"
"Evidently not" the former scout smiled, "I guess you can still teach an old dog new tricks"
"Speaking of which: as cool as being able to see spirits and ghosts is, why do we need these?" West asked the blue-eyed god-titan, holding up his crystal, "And what do we call them? Spirit stones?"
:They're calling seeing stones, and they are simply a precautionary measure. You know; better to have one on you and not need it, than to be in a situation where you need one, and don't have it:
"Ah, so it's one of those kinda things, better safe than sorry, right? " Rowan nodded, :right: Shadow smiled. "But, if we can see the spirits through these, and they can see us anyway, can it also be used to talk to them?" Lucy asked curiously, as she watched one spirit flit past her face. :The spirits hear and see all, they can understand you just fine. But remember when you talk to them, to be polite, courteous, and respectful of them and their home. This forest is their domain, and they won't take kindly to anyone disrespecting it: Shadow explained. "Since when have we ever disrespected the forest?" Eraman exclaimed in surprise as he saw to his ravens, "We're Celts, respecting nature and all it's creatures is what we're all about!". :I know that,: Shadow nodded, :It's just that some require a gentle reminder...: he deadpanned down at Pascal, who was trying to swat a butterfly away from his face.
"Well? I'm sure it will come in handy somewhere down the line," Tyto spoke up as he threaded his seeing stone onto the same cord as his concealment stone.
"Aside from 'better safe than sorry', what else did you have in mind with these 'seeing' stones?" Hecate asked offhand as she watched Ash, Rowan and Dale try out their seeing stones: "Maintaining an edge over the scouts?" Javorin shrugged as he held out his hand for Gale, Poppy and Belle to climb up onto his shoulders, "We don't know how this 'testing the waters phase' is going to go down with the them, and I'd rather everyone have a means of an emergency back-up, than be caught short and stuck with no help available". "And the spirits are okay with this?" Herne asked offhand, to which Hecate retorted, "Of course they are, he's the prince of all spirits: anything he says goes for them". "The forest doesn't want the titans around anymore than the humans do, they know this, so it's a 'the enemy of my enemy' kind of thing; it'll be in their best interest to help us where they can, within reason of course. They do have their own rules after all" Javorin replied. "I don't get how spirits do what they do" Elysia sighed, "They do whatever they want, and yet they have so-called 'rules' that they supposedly live by? How does that work?". "Granted, most spirits are fickle to understand: but then, maintaining allthe facets of the balance of nature isn't cut and dry. A great deal of flexibility has to be afforded at times; and nature has a funny habit of going both ways on occasion" Javorin explained.
"The bottom line is, they're willing to help us if things get difficult: that's all that matters" Herne smiled, before changing the subject, "But we can worry about that when its time to cross that bridge. Right now, It's a bright sunny day, the scouts are heading out as we speak, and we got a whole load of fun planned for them!" He tried to lighten the mood. "Yeah come on! We've been training for this for the last two weeks, and I want to get my goddess on with the haughty-shorty squad!" Elysia grinned enthusiastically like an impatient child as she bounced up and down on her perch. "You certainly changed your tune," Hecate grinned, "You were scared half to death of the prospect of facing Levi not barely a month ago". "Well that was then, with the new moves me, Carla and the twins have been practising, we'll be ready for that lil' pipsqueak!" the avian goddess stated boldly.
"Someone's eager to get this little exercise started..." Carla chuckled as she watched Angel bounce up and down on her perch, letting out an eager chirp-chirp-chirp! To which she replied with a vigorous nod. The white huntress then turned to Tyto, and sighed dryly, "... Remind me again why we're letting the kids take point on this?". Tyto turned to answer her, but Pascal stepped in before the Grey Owl could reply: "-Because they're small, young and don't look as intimidating as adults: the scouts will be thinking they're young, naïve, and not too much of a problem to deal with if things go south" he grinned with that devilish smile of his, "Remember, we want them more curious than cautious: let that nut-job Hange get carried away and take the lead, and let Captain Sour-puss play catch-up"
"You just don't want to have to face Levi and risk getting on his bad side, do you?" Carla deadpanned, "Well there's that..." Pascal flatly admitted with a sheepish smirk, before deadpaning, "But seriously. Erwin's no idiot, he knows one of us is going to be keeping an eye on the kids: the questions he's gonna be asking, is how many are there, how far away are they, and will they show up in force if he pushes his luck again. As long as he doesn't get a sure idea of the numbers, we're holding the upper hand, and he'll know it" he smiled confidently. "Not to mention there're the big guys to consider," West thumbed over at the god-titans, "Erwin's gonna quickly realize he's in way over his head, especially when he see's what Midnight has to offer"
"Hey come on! It's not like we're unprepared for this," Ariana chipped in, shooting her lines and flying down to hang in front of the grown-ups, "We've got our plans laid out, we've been practising our moves: we got this, okay?" she gazed over at Carla, "We know how to handle ourselves out there"
"I know you do, sweetheart..." Carla sighed, letting her shoulders go slack, "I just-, worry is all". Bryson then put a reassuring arm around her shoulder, "Hey come on, I helped train all of you remember? I wouldn't be letting any of you do this if I thought you couldn't handle it," he gazed up at Ariana with a humorous smirk, "And I know you kids are going to stay on point, and not get too carried away with yourselves". "Don't look at me, I ain't the trouble-maker here," Ariana deadpanned over at Rowan, Clay, Josefa and Jaye, "Hey don't look at us! It ain't our fault haughty-shorty's practically asking for it" Rowan shot back, "Yeah, that's what I'm talking about," Ariana folded her arms as she eyed him sceptically, to which Ash smacked Rowan up the back of the head. "We'll be fine dad, we know what to do," he glared down at Rowan and the others, "-And what not to do. We won't let you down". "I know you won't," Tyto nodded with a knowing look: of all the kids, he knew Ash would be the one to keep things in line; he had a knack for knowing how to take the lead when it came to the other kids.
"So how're we gonna do this?" Elysia asked eagerly, "Slow down kid, this ain't a surprise party we're throwing here: we're going to go with what the situation dictates," Herne gazed up at Javorin and Hecate "At least, I assume that's how we're going to do this? Listen in on the kids and play along?"
"You three can do what you please," Hecate waved off, "I'm going to be 'assessing' the captain solo" she smirked slyly, "So long as you don't wind him up too much," Javorin raised an eyebrow, "But on the other hand, that's probably not a bad idea: given your particular 'aura', we don't want the scouts spooked too much" he added.
"What about the titans and the baiting chimes?" Elysia asked offhand. "I think it's safe to say Erwin won't push his luck and try to steal them, as for the titans, I wouldn't worry too much: the chimes might not be heard too well across the other side of the river, but the risk to the scouts is minimal. Plus, having a 'titan buffer' might come in handy if the scouts get a little too curious: something to keep them busy and give us the slip"
"But how do we even know they'll pitch up by the river this time?" the Tempus goddess pressed him, "Because it's the quickest way to the next location on their supply chain" Hecate threw in, "Plus, Erwin's going to figure the baiting chimes are a good place to start looking, or waiting for us: whichever comes first. Plus the chimes have been hanging there since last month, so with the number of titans gathered around it, he not going figure it was put up only days ago"
As he 'listened' to the life of the forest and the grasslands beyond, through his feet, Javorin soon sensed the familiar thundering of hooves and the grinding of wheels on axles echo through the roots and earth, "Heads up, here they come..."
Meanwhile, ten miles north-east:
As the sun shone bright in the clear blue sky, the Scouts thundered across the plains, heading for the great southern Marian river: all across the empty countryside, swallows, martins and swifts danced on the breeze, while some deer cautiously fed out in the open fields and grassy hills.
As everyone kept an ear and eye open for titans, Erwin contemplated what this month's expedition would yield: after last month's encounter with Magpie, he knew the family would be watching them more keenly from now on...
Exactly as planned.
The so-called 'blunder' of running into the forest to 'flush some birds out' wasn't so much an accident, as it had been intentional on his part. The whole idea being, to force an encounter with one of the 'titan-hunters', and let them know they were aware of their presence: a real gamble for sure, but it paid off. And now, it was simply a case of letting curiosity get the better of Magpie (that is, if she wasn't being kept on a short leash), and the rest of the family hopefully, and letting them come to the scouts. It was simply a case of being patient, and waiting to see what will happen. It didn't take Hange, Levi and Mike long to realize the blunder had been intentional either, but none of them questioned it: they knew Erwin was a risk-taker, and he never took any big gambles without weighing up the outcome, and if it was going to pay off in the long-run. And in this case, the pay-off could be potentially enormous: so it made sense to go with his line of logic on this, and play the waiting game.
And with any luck, those painted titans might follow Magpie's cue as well...
"Hehehehe!" Hange couldn't help but giggle in sheer delight as she watched the river appear around the next line of knolls: ever since the sighting of the black and white female titan last month, she'd been hoping and praying that same titan would make a reappearance this time. A female titan was unheard of, never mind it could be another painted titan: "You keep laughing to yourself like that and people're gonna think your off your nut!" Oruo huffed in frustration, "Little bit late for that" Levi deadpanned, "Just think! A female titan! Another great first in the history of mankind! Who knows what other secrets this family are hiding!" "Your brain, in all probability" Levi shot her a look, "Ha ha very funny" the scientist waved off nonchalantly, "But seriously, what if she's our big blue-eyed boy's mate? Or a sibling? The scouts who saw her said she had the same style of marking on her back as he did: coincidence? I think not!". "For all we know they may not be the only ones" Eld offered, "Oh I so hope that's the case!" Hange squealed in joy, "I so hope not" Levi shot her a glair.
"Whatever the case my be, your orders still stand" Erwin glanced over at them, with a look that told them the subject wasn't up for debate, "No attacking or retreating unless in immediate danger, no interrogations, no cornering, no attempt to injure: in fact, no behaviour that could be interpreted as aggressive or violent what-so-ever. Got it!" Hange gave him a thumbs up, "Fine, but I still don't like it" Levi huffed dryly.
"Head up!" Mike pointed ahead to the river, and to a couple of titans walking along the opposite bank, which seemed totally oblivious to them. "...At this range they should've spotted us" he frowned as he sniffed the air, "Under normal circumstances they might have" Erwin replied, having a good idea what was going on. "-Look out! Four ten-meter classes approaching from the south-east!" one scout shouted: sure enough, four giant ten-meters were steadily ambling along in their general direction. Except, they were totally ignoring the scouts, and carrying on towards the river: not two seconds past before Hange figured it out: "-The chimes! Our boy must've rehung his wind-chimes close to the river!" she shouted. "Our main route takes us over the bridge by Neness, that's less than five miles from where the chimes might be: Coincidence?" Mike raised an eyebrow. "Hard to say, let's get there first and assess the situation" Erwin ordered.
Following the river southwards to the edge of the great Marian forest, the scouts soon arrived at the little riverside town of Neness: more of a large village than a town, Neness had once been the home of fishermen, huntsmen, and a stop-off for weary travellers; not at all like the bigger industrial towns further up river. With it's winding dirt roads, crumbling stone jetties and small thatched cottages, Neness sat nestled between the giant trees of the forest and a large sharp bend in the river, with a huge bascule bridge connecting it to a smaller hamlet on the other side. Flanked by a pair of large towers on either side of the river, which housed the chains and mechanisms used to raise the bridge, it was one of the more impressive bridge designs along the river. It had been a quaint little place back in the day, now it was no different to all the other towns and villages in Maria: overgrown, dilapidated, faded, and slowly succumbing to the ravages of decay and time.
As the long distance scouting formation gathered into the town square, and everyone was accounted for, Erwin and other squad leaders stood to one side as they studied their surroundings. Suddenly, a couple of titans were spotted on the opposite side of the river, less then six hundred yards away: but like the others they just kept heading south into the forest, paying no attention to the humans what-so-ever. Straining their ears to listen, the scouts couldn't hear anything, not even a vague hum, "Looks like the chimes are somewhere in that area of the forest" Erwin thought aloud, "It's strange, we can't hear anything, but the titans evidently can", "Which must mean the titan's hearing threshold is higher than ours, much like a cat or a dog" Hange reasoned, before breaking out into another smile, "-Oh! I must write that down! Where'd I put my journal?!" she reached up to rummage through her saddle pack. Turning to the others, Erwin ordered, "We'll set up camp in the trees and have look-outs posted around the perimeter: if the painted titan or his female companion make an appearance, no one is to engage unless attacked, understand?" "Yes sir!"
"What about the chimes sir?"
"Leave them be, for now: concentrate on planning the next leg of our journey, while I and the other section commanders try to figure out how we're going to handle the 'family', if and when they reappear"
Across the river, hidden from sight by the thick understory and canopy of the smaller giant trees: a pair of large vivid purple eyes watched the scouts with great intrigue, unblinking as they followed the movements of the squad leaders, and paid particular attention to Captain Levi.
Some time later:
The heat of the July sun had cooled off as a thin veil of clouds had slowly rolled in, and banished the worst of the sweltering humidity: giving way to a nice pleasant temperature that made working outdoors a lot more bearable. As the rest of the scouts kept an eye on the perimeter of the town, and went about setting up the arboreal camp, Petra had been tasked with watering the horses. Taking them several at a time down to the little sandy shore on the edge of the southern embankment of the town, the sweet-hearted redhead stood and watched as a kingfisher sat on a twig, watching the minnows in the water below.
She was so lost in the bird's intense focus, that she nearly jumped out of her skin when a magpie flew down behind her, and chattered loudly as it landed on one of the horse's saddles. Catching her breath, Petra gazed up at the bold creature, and was slightly surprised as it eyed her up and down, chattering again: as if to say hello. "Oh goodness, you really got me there!" she couldn't help but laugh: the magpie chattered again, bobbing its head up and down, as if excited to see her. "Are all magpies in Maria this friendly? Or are you just looking for some company?" she asked offhand in a friendly tone: again, the magpie chattered, and hopped down onto her shoulder, "-Oh, I guess that answers that question" she smiled, "You know? I ran into someone called Magpie a little while back, I don't suppose you know her, by chance?".
The magpie chattered loudly again, this time, flying off her shoulder and back onto the saddle: as it continued to chatter, the horses all perked their heads up with their ears pricked forward, and listened as the magpie called out again, before flying off into the forest. "Huh?" Petra blinked in surprise, then suddenly, all the horses bolted at top speed, following the magpie. "WHAT?!" the redhead gawked, grabbing her handgrips and shooting her lines as she took off after the horses.
"What's up with the them?" one of the perimeter look-out's gently elbowed his comrade, as they both watched the redhead and horses disappear into the forest, "Dunno?", "Should we go help?", "We have our orders: we're to remain here and keep an eye out for that painted titan; but, it might be an idea to go let the rest of her squad know. Just in case..."
It didn't take her long to catch up, and soon Petra was flying parallel to the horses below, and the magpie that was seemingly leading them in a particular direction: "Since when are birds able to talk to horses?" she thought aloud as she tracked the wayward steeds. There was no way to stop them at this speed, the only choice would be wait until they finally stopped, grab their reins and then lead them back. But that didn't look likely, as the magpie continued to chatter, and the horses kept pace with the bird: "... How can a bird learn to lead horses? Is such a thing even possible?" Petra frowned in confusion as she watched the strange chase. Looking around, a pang of worry shot through her as she realized she was well out of sight of the town, and could no longer hear the river: but where was the magpie flying to? And why were the horses following it?
Gazing up ahead, something caught her eye through the trees some fifty to sixty yards away: something that took her breath away...
A huge muscular fifteen meter titan with a cheekless lipless maw exposing a row of teeth, long pointed elfish ears, a long thick mane of light brown hair and eyes as blue as the sky, covered head to toe in strange black stylized markings, and carrying a long blue crystal spear in one hand.
Acting on well-trained reflexes, Petra shot up into the canopy before the giant could see her, while the horses ran right up to it's feet. Taking a moment to catch her breath and steady her nerves, Petra cautiously glanced down through the leaves, and stared in wide-eyed amazement. It was the painted titan, just as Erwin and the others all described: big, impressive, and nothing like any of the others titans she'd ever seen before. She watched as the magpie flew around the giant's frame, before landing on it's shoulder, alongside a whole flock of various other birds: the titan then slowly bent down as the horses neighed up at it, like a pack of dogs begging for food, and it gently offered its open hand to them. Petra frowned in confusion, the horses were clearly eating something out of the titans palm, and as one of the horses moved aside, she saw they were apples.
A titan, feeding horses?
The magpie was chattering to the other birds perched on the titan's shoulders, which ranged in size and species: were they his pets? This was the most extraordinary thing she's ever seen, and as the strange yet cute little scene continued to play out, Petra suddenly realized there was a serious problem. There was no way she could get back to the camp without the titan spotting her at this range, and how the hell was she going to retrieve the horses? Since the last encounter with this titan went without any form of communication, there was no way to tell how he'd react to her. Was he aware that she accidentally broke his wind-chimes? Might he not take kindly to the scouts this time? She didn't know what to do: this was totally new territory, and she had no way to predict what might happen next.
After the horses had their fill of apples, the titan shooed them off, and hummed something that could be construed as: go on, off you go. The horses then turned, and started galloping back the way they came. 'Huh?' Petra raised an eyebrow: after watching them head back in the direction of the camp, she glanced back, only to see the titan was gone. Dread tied her stomach into a knot as she desperately looked around, but he'd completely vanished: 'How the hell does a fifteen meter titan disappear without making a sound?!' she panicked. She was so caught up in her anxiety, that the loud chattering of the magpie nearly made her fall off her perch, whipping her head round to the source of her fright, she let out a low huff of frustration as the bird eyed her up and down on a nearby branch. "You again? I don't suppose you know where your big friend took off to?" she glanced at the bird, which only chattered at her again.
Suddenly, a loud creek in the branch she was standing on got her attention, as she felt the limb begin to give way: but before she had a chance to jump to safety, the branch snapped, and Petra fell straight down through the canopy. But before she could fire her lines, she landed in something soft and warm; sitting upright and looking around, she gasped in horror as she realized she was sitting in a giant hand: turning around, she locked eyes with the painted titan, as he simply stared down at her...
Gazing up into those eyes, and now being close enough to see them in full, Petra was stunned at how radiant and dazzling they actually were: like opals, sapphires and blue topaz all shimmering as one, with hues of every blue imaginable. It was then, Petra noticed how warm and gentle his gaze was, as if there was a peaceful being behind those eyes: kind and benevolent; they were so mesmerizing and beautiful, it was hard to believe such a thing were possible in a titan. She felt her body relax as her fear gave way to an uneasy wariness, as if some kind of power had overtaken her, and assured her instincts that there was no danger here: suddenly, the magpie flew down and landed next to her, followed by all the other birds that now all sat in the titan's palm, twittering and chirping up at her, as if telling her to relax, and not to worry.
"...Uh? ..." Petra swallowed hard: now realizing she was in no danger, she decided to take a bold chance, and see if anything could be gleaned from this encounter: "...H-Hello?". The titan smiled back, and hummed softly in a happy tone: 'Okay, he seems to understand what I'm saying' Petra thought with slight relief, "Can-, you speak, at all?" she asked cautiously, to which the titan shook his head: no. "But, you can understand me okay?" she asked; the titan nodded. 'Boy is Hange going to flip' Petra thought as a small uneasy smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. A titan that could understand English? The enormity of it suddenly hit Petra like a brick, 'but-, language implies intelligence' she realized: she was about to ask the titan something else, when he suddenly snapped his head round to one side, ears pricked forward, and moving up and down as he listened to something.
"What is it?" Petra asked worryingly: the titan lifted his spear, and pointed it through the trees. There, some eight hundred yards away, a whole group of various-sized titans were passing by, seemingly unaware of their presence; the titan frowned as he let out a low hushed rumble, as if annoyed by their sudden appearance. He then gazed down at Petra with an apologetic gaze: but before she could say anything, he moved his hand close to his chest, curling his fingers around her so as to hold her securely, and then silently snuck away; keeping one ear on the titans as he began weaving through the trees. The birds all flew back up onto the titan's shoulder, staying quiet as Petra gazed down over the side of his palm: she was stunned at how quiet each of his footsteps were, hardly making any sound or vibrations as he moved like a shadow; 'How on earth does a titan his size move around without making any noise?!' the redhead wondered in wide-eyed amazement. Gazing up ahead, Petra suddenly realized they were heading back towards the town, and would soon be in range of the scouts look-out perimeter.
Suddenly realizing what this might look like to the captain, Petra stood up in his palm and pleaded in a hushed voice: "No no please! You can drop me off here, I can make my way back just fine!"
The titan glanced down at her, glanced back at the titans, and firmly shook his head: no. Petra was about to try and plead again, when suddenly...
"PETRA? Where are you?!" Gunther's voice rang through the trees: and as the redhead gasped in alarm, he, along with Eld and Oruo suddenly swung into view. The three squad members all saw the painted titan, saw a stunned Petra standing in its palm, and without even stopping to think, all charged straight at him. "-PETRA!" Oruo panicked "-NO DON'T!" Petra held up her hands to try and stop them: but to everyone's great surprise, the titan threw his head back, and leaned as far backwards as he could go without falling over, all without letting Petra slip out of his hand. Eld, Gunther and Oruo gawked as they flew clear over the titan, quickly turning back in the same moment it took for him to correct his stance and stand up straight, all with his birds flying about his head and shoulders, getting all in a flutter. As the three men lined up for another attack, Petra threw up her hands and yelled: "STOP!".
Slamming on the proverbial breaks, the scouts stopped just short of the titan, who unusually, was making no attempt to defend himself or keep them at a distance, he simply stood there as Petra continued: "-I'm okay! He's not dangerous, I-, fell off a broken branch and he caught me! There were titans nearby so he was taking me back to the camp! Please! It's okay, really! Just- everyone clam down!"
"Petra, what the hell?!" Eld exclaimed in alarm, not at all sure what to make of the situation, "Get out of that monster's hand! Before he has the chance for a quick snack!" Oruo panicked, "I think if he wanted to eat me he'd have done so already" she deadpanned up at him, "-Listen, does he look dangerous right now?". Gazing up at the titan, his expression hadn't changed in the slightest, he was just standing there: calm, collected, not at all worried in the least; none of them bar Petra were sure whether that was a good thing or not. "Petra..." Gunter spoke in a more measured tone, "We don't know what it wants, just-, stay calm and don't try anything rash"
The titan then pricked his other ear, as another familiar voice came hollering through the trees, "Oh boy..." Oruo deadpanned as Hange came flying in with Erwin, Mike and Levi on her tail: "-Hey-hey! Look who it is! Our big blue-eyed handsome boy!" the scientist yelled in joy, before suddenly noticing Petra standing in his palm, "-Whoa, what? Petra?!". 'Oh no...' Petra mentally fretted as Levi saw her, and flew straight at her at high speed: grabbing the redhead out of the titan's palm and lifting her away to the safety of a nearby tree: "You okay?" he asked in concern, "I'm fine, but captain!-
She didn't have time to finish as the captain took off and started circling the titan: who still didn't move. "-LEVI!" Erwin barked sharply, and the captain reluctantly returned to his perch next to the redhead, with the rest of the squad joining them at their sides. "...Would you care to explain what just happened Petra?" the commander gazed up at her. Without wanting to get snarled up in trying to explain every little detail, Petra sighed as she decided to go with the long and short of it: "The painted titan saved me sir: I was chasing after the horses when he showed up, some other titans were in the vicinity and he tried to sneak me back to camp without them noticing" she stated, glancing over in the direction of where she last saw them, "Luckily, I don't think they heard us just now"
"He-, saved you?" Hange stared at her in amazement, before that mad smile creped back across her face: but Levi stepped in before she had a chance to burst again, "-How do we know he didn't have something else in mind?". "Yeah! What proof do we have his intentions were noble at all?!" Oruo concurred in an obnoxious tone.
Petra was about to retort back, when suddenly, the magpie that had been flying around only seconds ago, now landed on Oruo's head and started chattering in a rather angry tone at him; much to his surprise. Everyone started at him in bewilderment, before the other birds all perched themselves on the other scouts (bar Petra), and started twittering too.
"What the hell is this?!" Oruo exclaimed as he tried to swat the magpie off, but it only kept landing on him. "I think they're his friends? Or maybe his pets? I don't know, they've been following him closely" Petra offered, "Well whatever it is, it's fucking annoying!" Levi huffed as he tried to swat a rook and a waxwing away. "A titan who keeps pets? Now that would be something!" Hange grinned as a mountain bluebird, yellow warbler, flame-coloured tanager and a bullfinch sat on her shoulders, chirping away while a cuckoo sung it's characteristic 'cuck-coo' while perched on her head. "Is it just me, or do all these birds seem to be annoyed with us?" Mike grimaced as a snow bunting and snow finch took turns in flitting around his head and shoulders.
"They do appear to be riled up..." Erwin frowned as he paid no attention to the Stella's jay and blue jay pecking at his collar: gazing over at the titan, he was slightly taken aback to see the giant giving him a rather amused look, as if he were taking this whole situation in his stride, and enjoying the scene; a slight unease settled over the commander, as he suddenly began to get the feeling he wasn't the one in control here. The giant then smiled as he let out a low rumbling chuckle, taking all the scouts by surprise: as the titan parted his teeth slightly, Erwin noticed his tongue curl up against the roof of his mouth, and a sharp short "-PHEE!" came whistling out, echoing through the trees. All at once, the birds stopped their pestering, and flew up and away into the canopy: leaving the scouts dumbfounded, "What just happened?" Oruo blinked in surprise, "I think he told them to back off? ..." Hange gazed up and around at the canopy, before another smile beamed across her face "And he did so by whistling! Cross-communication between a titan and another species of animal! This day just keeps getting better!" she clasped her hands together in joy.
The titan, much to everyone's surprise, let out another deep hum, as if to say: oh really? as he propped his spear up against a nearby tree, and leaned back against another, folding his arms as he continued to watch the humans in amusement. "Oh yeah? And what're you so happy about?!" Oruo shot him a stern glair, "-You ya twit!" a voice from above made him jump: looking up, everyone saw Magpie, along with a whole gang of other kids: all dressed up in much the same style as her, the same custom-made ODM gear, and around about the same age (bar one boy in a pale grey cloak and redish-pink neckerchief, who looked to be in his late teens), "You lot standing around getting your feathers in a flutter, at this rate every titan in the neighbourhood's gonna know where to find lunch!" one of the kids, a plucky brunette dressed all in blue retorted with a smirk beneath her neckerchief.
"Seriously, you guys always this uptight?..." Magpie smiled as she flew over to perch above Erwin (being sure to keep a few meter's safe distance), "Nice to see you again, commander: no hard feelings from last time?", "Water under the bridge, and likewise, it's good to see you again, Magpie" he smiled, "Nice. You stopping off to set up another supply depot? Or just passing through?". "Passing through I'm afraid, the next leg of our journey is too long to be completed in one day: and Neness is the nearest stop to our main route" the commander explained. "If it's the main eastern road through the forest your taking, you'll definitely want to hold off until tomorrow" Magpie replied, "The titans are pretty numerous today: why, not five minutes ago, Petra would've been outnumbered eight to one if our good friend here hadn't saved her from that fall" another of the kids added; a younger girl in a slate blue cloak and cream and grey stripped shirt.
"Honestly. The big-guy here tries to do a good deed in saving one of your own, and you all think he's only interested in snacking on her? Shame on you," the girl dressed all in blue tut-tutted them with a smirk, before Magpie called over to Petra, "By the way, tether your horses next time you water them!". "Will do" she waved back sheepishly. "My apologises, we misinterpreted the situation" the commander dipped his head respectively, before changing the subject "So what brings you all to this neck of the woods?", "Titans? What else?, oh, and making sure none of your lot get eaten" one boy dressed all in black with a dark purple neckerchief threw in casually.
"Seriously, of all the places you guys choose to pitch up, you had to go for smack in the middle of titan country?" one of the other kids retorted, "There're like, a hundred and thirty-plus titans over the other side of the river, about a ninety this side, and at least a hundred more both north and south of the river, on both sides", "If we weren't here, you guys would be screwed for sure" another threw in nonchalantly: though it did little to ease the scouts nervousness, "Luckily for you though, we're working this whole territory today: so why don't you go back to camp and take a load off; don't wanna run outta gas now, do we?" another teased, to which Oruo shot them a stern look.
"Oh really?" the commander raised an eyebrow; that sounded about as serendipitous as a pickpocket just randomly appearing in a crowded marketplace. No way did they 'just happen' to be in this area today: 'So they were already waiting for us huh? That can only mean they must have had look-out's posted a few miles further up stream: but then, how did they manage to relay the message so fast?' Erwin thought offhand, "Yeah, really" the boy replied an a slight snarky tone. "Blue, lay off" Magpie retorted, giving him the mother hen look.
"Blue?" Hange raised an eyebrow, "Oh yeah, pardon my manners: we don't really see anyone else out here, so we tend to forget to introduce ourselves"Magpie gestured to each of the kids, "This is Blue jay and his sister Stella's jay, my twin cousins: my brothers, Raven, Rook and Jackdaw, my other cousins, Waxwing and his sister Goshawk, Swallow and her brother Swift; and our 'best-friend's-who've-been-in-the-family-so-long-they-might-as-well-be-cousins': Mountain bluebird, Yellow warbler and Flame-coloured tanager, Bullfinch and his little sister Cuckoo, and the snow twins, Snow bunting and Snow finch. Oh, and the big-guy is Shadow" she pointed to the titan, to which he shot the scouts a wink.
"Geez, you guys really have a thing for birds huh?" Gunther gazed up at Magpie weirdly, "It's a bit of a family tradition" she shrugged. "Shadow? That's his name?!" Hange bounced up and down in excitement, "Oh how wonderful! So nice to be properly introduced at least!" she waggled her fingers at him, to which he waved back: "Oh-, yeah, I forgot to mention, he understands our language!" Petra threw in, "I'll say!-" Waxwing scoffed, "You can't have any private conversations with those giant ears nearby". Erwin and the other scouts gazed at him in astonishment, "He-, understands our language?" the commander gazed up at the kids, "How did you accomplish that feat?"
"Accomplish?" Raven gazed down at him in slight astonishment, as he flew down to join his sister at her side, "You think we taught him how to communicate?". The others kids dispersed themselves among the scouts, as they chipped in: "Seriously man, he ain't no one's pet" Waxwing grinned, "Yeah, you see any collars or leashes on him?" Blue jay added, to which the titan smiled. "Nope, we didn't teach him shit" Rook scoffed as he flew over to perch next to Levi, eyeing the captain up and down sceptically as the shorter man stood up in a defensive manner: "...And speaking of shit: this is the pipsqueak that tried to chase you last month sis?" he gazed over at Magpie, before grinning back down at the captain, who stood well over several inches shorter than him: "That's him," Magpie deadpanned, unimpressed with her brother's attitude. "Heh! You weren't kidding when you said he was short!" he scoffed with a chuckle. "Watch it brat," the captain stepped up to him, "I'm not so short I can't beat you down a few feet shorter"
"Oooh I'm so scared..." Rook mockingly trembled as he stepped away, and flew off to a nearby branch, "Yeah you idiots try to pull a stunt like that with my lil' sister again, and the titans will be the least of your problems". "Rook, we talked about this" Magpie deadpanned at him, "There's nothing to get riled up about, everyone's cool here, so fly back up to your perch!" she glared at him, but Rook simply muttered something under his breath as he folded his arms, and reclined against the branch. "As far as last month's little 'encounter' is concerned? It's no big deal. No one got hurt, nothing too serious went down, and its water under the bridge, right?" Magpie gazed over at Erwin, "Right" he nodded. "You'll have to excuse Rook, he tends to let his fists do all the talking" Jackdaw apologized, "Yeah, he doesn't always know how to use his brain" Goshawk chipped in dryly, "Oh, I think I can relate" Petra shot Oruo a look. "But seriously," Raven continued, gesturing to Shadow, "He may be a titan? But he's not stupid: you might want to keep that in mind, should you go getting any bright ideas"
"Duly noted" Erwin replied stoically, "One other thing, those giant wind chimes: is there a set of them hanging up in the forest somewhere, on the other side of the river?"
"Somewhere. What's it to you?" Rook dryly mocked, to which Magpie replied, "Yes, there's a set hanging up by the main road some five miles away, near the village of Berkvenn, just past the windmills on the edge of the forest. Like Cuckoo said, there's a lot of titans in this area, so we're gonna be busy for most of the day. Which means, this is probably going to be the only time we see each other"
"Aw really?" Hange sulked, "Well that's a bummer"
"Hey, there's always next month," Snow finch suggested, "I doubt this is the last time we'll be seeing each other" his sister added without dropping a beat. "Indeed" Erwin raised an eyebrow. "Oh, I nearly forgot!-" Hange suddenly perked up, gazing up at Shadow with a titillated smile, "May I ask, who's your black and white lady-titan friend?". Shadow let out a low amused hum as he raised an eyebrow, as if to say: ah, so you've met her huh?
"Ah," Jackdaw chuckled sheepishly, "So you've met her eh?". "In a way" Erwin nodded, "Four of our number ran into her last month: and the rest of the main contingent only briefly saw her; care to enlighten us as to who and what she is?", "That would be Shadow's cousin, Midnight," Raven thumbed over to Shadow, who nodded in agreement, "Kinda the 'rebellious child' of the family, so to speak" Blue jay offered with a sly smile, "Unlike Mr marshmallow here," Stella's jay thumbed over at Shadow, "She has a real taste for titan flesh, and kinda likes to take a bit of pleasure in these little hunts of ours" she smirked. "A titan that eats other titans?!" Hange squeaked, "Only when she's hungry, most of the time she just likes to play with her food" Raven offered, "She kinda has a thing for games, and likes to get her kicks in where she can" Magpie added, "Meaning, if you guys piss her off, you might wake up hanging upside-down in a tree being used as titan bait" Rook smirked, "Or worse".
Quick as a weasel, Magpie flew down at Rook, trying to kick him off the branch: but the larger boy was too fast, and shot his lines, flying away to perch on another branch nearby; "-Knock it off Rook!" she yelled up at him, to which he paid no attention. "...Seriously though," she glazed back up at Erwin, "If you do see her? don't get your cables in a twist, she won't hurt you; but, don't get blasé with her either: she can be real slippery when she wants to be, and even you guys won't be able to keep up with her". "And if she's in the mood to play, she won't let you go either" Mountain bluebird smirked, before adding in a chipper tone, "But hey, you're the scouts! Ain't no titan in these woods that's gonna get the better of you guys, right?", "Right..." Levi deadpanned sourly: he didn't like the sound of that.
Raven was about to say something else, when a white dove flew down through the canopy, and perched above the gathering of humans, cooing loudly as it watched them. Shadow stood up, grabbed his spear, and let out a few soft hums, as if to say: time to go. "What? Already?" Magpie protested, the titan simply gave her a mother hen look, and tapped his left shoulder, "Sorry guys, looks like it's time for us to get back to work," she sighed as she shot her lines and flew up onto Shadow's shoulder, followed by the others. "Work?" Hange blinked in surprise, before it clicked, "-Oh! Right! Yes, the titan hunting! Well good luck, and don't be shy to pay us a visit next time we're passing through!" she waved good-bye, "Somehow, I don't think that's gonna be an issue" Magpie smirked. "So how long are you planning to camp out here?" Raven asked offhand, "Just for tonight, and we'll be away first thing tomorrow morning" Erwin replied, "Fine, just be careful" the boy nodded, flying up onto Shadow's right shoulder as the giant turned and started walking away back the way he'd came.
"Oh! One last thing!-" Magpie called out, "Midnight's a bit of a handful, but Angel and Boar shouldn't be too much of a problem!"
"What?! Who're Angel and Boar?!" Hange called out, but before Magpie could reply, Shadow started jogging: and before long, he had vanished from sight among the giant trees. "...Well? that went better than last time" Hange offered, "Is it just me or did anyone else get the feeling they were messing around with us?" Levi frowned, "All that big talk and posturing? Pft!- they're taking us for fools!" Oruo scoffed in concurrence, "They're kids, what'd you expect?" Petra shot back at him, "Posturing or not, we'll have to take everything they said with a pinch of salt, and air on the side of caution," Erwin stated, as the Levi squad flew over to regroup with him.
"So what now?" Levi asked, "Leave them be: if they really are hunting titans nearby, let them handle it; it'll mean we might have a clear run out of the forest tomorrow morning". "And what if this 'Boar' and 'Angel' show up? At this point I think it's safe to assume their titans too! (or more hunters maybe?)" Hange grinned, "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it, for now we take it in shifts to maintain the perimeter and observe whatever comes our way" the commander replied, before turning to Petra, "Petra, when we return to camp, I want you to sit down with Hange and give a full transcription of your encounter with Shadow. That goes for all of us too. Come on" he grabbed his handgrips, and got ready to jump.
"We'll catch up, I just need a word with Petra, in private" Levi interjected, "Don't be too long" Erwin stated, before flying back to camp with the other two squad leaders in tow, "You three go, I promise we'll be right behind you" he assured his squad; Eld, Gunther and Oruo glanced at one another, and took off without another word: wondering what it was the captain didn't want them to hear.
Feeling stuck between a rock and a hard place, Petra had a good idea what this 'word in private' might be about: gathering her nerve, she tried to explain "If, this is about me not trying to get away from-", "-Don't" Levi interrupted, frowning at her in annoyance. Petra instantly went quiet, and didn't interrupt as the captain continued: "You let that monster hold you in his hand, without knowing what he had in mind? I don't care what those brats say; he's a titan Petra. Smart or not, friendly or not, deep down he's no different to all the other monsters we've been fighting for the past hundred years, and I'll bet if you piss him off the wrong way, it won't take much for that hunger to surface. So the next time you see him, or any others like him? You damn well keep your distance, understand?"
"Y-yes sir" she submissively dipped her head, letting her gaze fall with a look of shame reflected in her eyes: "When we get back, submit your report to Hange, then help out with the resupply: and don't go wandering off again" he stated as he fired his lines and headed back to camp. Petra then fired her lines, and took off after the captain: briefly gazing back at the direction where Shadow and the children had gone.
The dove that had been watching them, flew high up into the canopy of the giant trees, and perched next to her friend, who stroked her back gently: "...Not bad Angel" Carla smiled, to which the titan-goddess in disguise cooed proudly.
"It would seem we've got a tough nut to crack," Tyto pondered aloud as he stroked his beard, "It's going to take quite a bit of buttering-up to bring the captain round: that's for sure" Pascal concurred, "Might be an idea to give him a wide berth, for the time being at least" Evrard suggested.
"Any other time I'd agree, but we've got to see how far is too far with him, and how much or little it takes to really piss him off" Bryson stated: "In that case we'll stick with the original plan and let Midnight handle him: the question is though, how do we get Levi away from the camp, and alone with her?" Falken pointed out, "We'll leave that to Dale and the snow twins to figure out, they're good at that kind of tactical thinking" Eraman smiled as he whipped out a small piece of paper and a writing stick from his hip pack, "So what are the new orders?" he asked.
"Onto the second phase: the scouts know we're here, they believe we're hunting nearby, and they have their look-out's posted: time to see what happens when they 'run into' the rest of the family'" Tyto suggested, which Eraman wrote down on the paper, rolled it up, and tied it to one of his raven's leg's, before throwing her into the air, "Go find the kids Brandy!" he called to the bird, which took off into the forest. "In that case, we better get into position; we still gonna split up for Midnight's solo 'encounter'?". "Yes, you guys go wait for her and get into position across the river, I'll take my team to the scouts camp" Tyto stated as everyone got ready to move out.
Brandy flew a fair distance before finally finding Shadow and the kids further downstream, hiding alongside Boar and Midnight in a narrow glen that flattened out by the river. "Brandy!" Josefa called to the raven, which flew down and perched on her knee: she then removed the message and read it over: "New orders, we're moving onto phase two" she announced.
"Already? That was quick," Ariana blinked in surprise as she reclined against Shadow's neck: "Ten to one says Levi needs some serious buttering-up" Belle smirked, "And then some; I knew you said he was a real uptight little jerk, but wow: the look he was giving you could've made milk go sour" Clay glanced up at Ariana, "The guy's lucky I'm in a good mood today, or I'd a smacked that look clean off his face," Rowan frowned as he cracked his knuckles. "I did warn you he's not approachable: I've been watching him for over a year, and believe me, there's hardly anything or anyone that manages to lighten his mood" Ariana explained, before frowning down at her brother, "-And the next time you decide to try pissing him off? Just remember, he can fight when he wants to. I've seen him take on fifteen-meter classes like they were nothing, and even you wouldn't last two minutes in a one-on-one with him. So don't go getting cocky Rowan!"
"Isn't the whole point of this particular mission to see how far we can push him and the others?" Rowan glanced up at her with a smug look, "Look, he may be tough, but so am I: and I can get the drop on him if I wanted to. Don't worry about me okay? I can handle this" he stated seriously, "That's what you always say" Hazel deadpanned, "Right before you get your ass handed to you" Clay smirked, "Oh lay off!" Rowan shot back.
"In all seriousness though?" Shyla interjected, "This whole thing could go both ways: and we have to be prepared for what might happen if this goes bad": everyone glanced at one another, as a feeling of uncertainty came over the group, "...The idea of being permanently on Levi's bad side, has haunted me ever since I first saw him in action: the thought of him seeing Shadow and the others as nothing but bloodthirsty monsters, and cutting them down as such, still fills me a horrible dread..." Ariana admitted, "But the thing is? As much as he's not friendly or polite: Levi is a good leader, he respects and trusts his squad, and they in turn trust and respect him: Erwin and the other section commanders too, they trust his opinion and judgement, and they trust him to know how to handle things when a situation goes bad. Regardless of his personality, he's a damn good scout, and maybe, a good friend in his own rudely stoic way? How else do you think Erwin and the others are all able to tolerate and get along okay with him?"
"She's got a point there" Hawk nodded, "No one was shooting any stink-eyes in his direction"
"My point is, I don't believe he's a bad guy: just-, stubbornly set in his ways" Ariana added, "Remind you of anyone?" Ash shot Rowan a deadpan look, "I think we can get him to see reason: it's just going to take a bit of work is all". "Maybe? Look, we trust your observations of him and the scouts sis; and if chipping away at that stubbornness is the way to go with him? then okay, we'll play it easy with Levi" Ash smiled as he glanced up at Midnight, "And I know you'll definitely sweep him off his feet". :Damn right: she replied with a sultry smirk.
"One other thing though..." Hawk thought aloud: "Is it just me, or did Erwin seem rather reserved? He wasn't asking too many questions back there"
"Yeah, I noticed that too" Ariana frowned, "Levi may be a serious contender in terms of a physical fight, but Erwin's the one we really need to be careful of; he was studying us back there, trying to work us out. And you can be sure he's not going to give anything away: unless we overhear it"
"What'd you think?" Gale glanced down at Dale, Lucy and Lucius, "You think you guys can out-smart him?"
"Only if we have all the cards we need: and that's what today's all about" Dale replied, "We're testing the waters to see how he and the others all react to us: back there we were acting as a buffer between Shadow and the Levi squad, but now, it's just gonna be them and you guys," he gazed up at Shadow, "I know you can all handle him and the other scouts, that's not the issue here. When you read their 'aura's': what is it you'll be looking for, specifically?"
:A few different things: Shadow replied, :But you must remember, we're not going to get everything we need from them today, this is going to be a long-term observation. It's going to take time to fully get all the facts, and determine where they stand between us and the ultimate goal of our endeavour. For now, we concentrate on breaking the ice:
"That's putting lightly," Herne smirked up at Javorin, "Phase two isn't going to be subtle", "Better we do it now in broad daylight, then sneaking around the camp after dark, and having the scouts believe we're up to something questionable" Javorin replied. "You do realize once today's little 'ice-breaker' is over, Erwin's going to figure we're up to something, right?" Elysia pointed out, her telepathic voice echoing on the wind, "He already knows we're up to something kid: today is all about letting him know who's who, after that, whatever he does next is the tune we dance to. And speaking of which, you know what to do next, right?"
"Of course!" she shot back impatiently, "I'm bored waiting around, let's get started already! I wanna put my new training into action!"
"So" Ashlyn changed the subject as she read the details of the message, "Seeing as we're moving onto phase two, we're going to need a few titans handy"
"Not a problem" Clay grinned as he and Hazel climbed up onto the back of Boar's neck, while Ash, Rowan, Dale, Josefa and Jaye climbed into Midnights waiting hand, and everyone else climbed up into Shadow's palms, "Okay. Let's get going" Ash ordered.
A few hours later, noon:
The thin cloud cover remained in place, cooling the air and partially hiding the sun at times, turning it into a white sphere that hung in the grey sky.
The scouts continued to go about their usual duties, while maintaining a careful watch on the forest. Over the last few hours, steam plumes had been spotted rising up above the treetops on the other side of the river, some three or four miles away: the tell-tale sign of a titan corpse evaporating; what started out as a handful, had grown in number to well over sixty by the time lunch rations were being handed out.
As she sat down to eat her lunch by the bridge, Petra watched the steam rising up into the sky, and thought back to this morning's encounter: there was something about Shadow's eyes that had her completely taken aback; how they held such warmth and kindness, so different to what she had been expecting. He was certainly no titan she'd ever seen before: but as she thought about Levi's admonition, she realized that she could have indeed, potentially been in danger. Even if his intentions were noble, there's no telling what might have happened if Eld, Gunther and Oruo had attacked him a second time. She mentally reprimanded herself, she was a member of the special operations squad after all: Levi hadn't chosen her for her good looks and sweet nature, she was a professional; and she hadn't acted very professional today.
But then, as she contemplated her gut-instinct: why was there this nagging feeling that Shadow wasn't dangerous?
"Hey Petra-" Gunther nearly made her jump as he sat down beside her, "-Oh sorry, didn't mean to spook you" he apologized, "Ah don't worry about it Gunther," she waved off with her usual sweet smile, "What was on your mind? if you don't mind me asking" he asked as he took a bite out of his ration cracker, "...Shadow?" she admitted sheepishly, "Ah," Eld nodded as he and Oruo joined them, "Can't say he hasn't been on my mind either: he's something huh?". "Something is definitely the word" she couldn't help but smile. "Oh don't tell me that painted shit-face has got you smitten?" Oruo obnoxiously scoffed as he tucked into his rations: Petra shot him a look but didn't say anything: she couldn't be asked to get into another argument with him today: "He sneaks you away from some titans, and that makes it okay to trust him? How do we know that giant shit isn't planning something? Like biding his time and waiting to snap us up for dinner? Consider yourself lucky those brats came by to put him back on the leash (so to speak), or who knows what might have gone down?"
"You might have a point there," Gunther sighed, "But we don't know anything about this titan, or those kids: but likewise, we don't know what kind of threat they pose, if at all?"
"But how can they be a threat if they're out there killing the titans? Doing the same thing as us?" Petra pointed out, "Okay, we don't know if it's really for humanity's sake: but we share the same enemy; surely we can't be all that different?"
"Maybe? Maybe not? Like Gunther said, we don't know anything yet" Eld pointed out, "Besides, what the kids said earlier, about this female titan 'Midnight': I know it would be a huge discovery in terms of new information for humanity, but I'm kinda hoping we don't run into her" he admitted, "Same here" Gunther nodded, "Oh come on guys!" Oruo rolled his eyes, "For all we know those brats were likely making half that crap up! They're trying to prey on our fears, keep us on edge so as we don't try to catch them off-guard; hell it's what I'd do if I were up against an opponent I don't know" he stated boldly. "That's basically what the captain said during the debriefing" Petra deadpanned over at him, "Besides, what if they weren't making it up? And then there're this 'Boar' and 'Angel', we don't know what expect if they are titans"
"Well, if they really are hunting titans out there," Gunther gazed up at the distant steam plumes, "At least we don't have to worry about getting attacked"
Across the other side of the town, on the edge of the treeline, Mike was tucking into a ration cracker as he surveyed the forest: with the cloud cover thinning out the sun's light, the forest looked even darker than usual, with the shade and shadows now almost completely dark in some places, concealing the canopy and understory; giving the whole forest a spooky and foreboding presence.
As he was about to take another bite, the familiar scent of a titan wafted by his nose, and it was well defined: the titan in question had to be around five hundred yards away. The distant booms of giant footsteps confirmed it, and without hesitation Mike reached for his flare gun, and fired a red smoke signal up over the town: "MOVEMENT IN THE FOREST!" he shouted loudly, and within seconds the whole camp was readying for battle. "What is it?" Erwin demanded as he flew up next to the squad leader's side, "Regular titan by the smell of it: and from the sound of its pace, it doesn't seem to be in a hurry to get here; Nanaba's team can dispatch it easily" Mike replied: Erwin was about to say something else, when suddenly, Hange got both their attention: "Erwin! I'm going on ahead to check it out!" she grinned as she leapt up onto her horse and took off in the direction of the booming footsteps, "HANGE!-" Erwin tried to shout, but she was already out of earshot as her horse galloped up into the forest, "-LEVI!".
"Tch!-" Levi huffed as he mounted his horse, and took off after the titan scientist, "Idiot". "Oh boy," Oruo sighed in annoyance as he and the rest of the squad stood back up, "You know what that means": "Let Erwin worry about reining Hange in, come on, we better mount up" Eld stated as he finished his cracker, and ran off to locate his horse.
Up in the forest, Hange kept her head on a swivel, until she finally spotted the titan in question: "-Ah ha! There you are!" she called up to it; a bloated thirteen meter class with beady eyes and a permanent rictus smile, watched as she galloped past its feet, "Care to come for a stroll with me?" she smiled, and within seconds the titan was lumbering after her in a somewhat clumsy manner. "Hey! You haven't seen any titans covered in strange markings have you?" she teased, narrowly missing the giant's chubby hand as he reached down to try and swipe her, "-Whoa! Nearly got me there! You'll have to do better than that!" she grinned as she carried on through the giant trees: dodging and weaving through the understory as the titan continued to chase her, "I don't suppose you might have seen any kids on ODM gear either, have you?" she threw in, only to avoid another swipe, "I'll take that as a no then!" she called up.
'If those kids and the rest of their family are really hiding up in the trees with those poisoned arrows of theirs, there's a good chance they might take a shot at this guy,' Hange thought to herself, easily missing another swipe of the titan's hand, "Close, but not enough!" she smiled, 'Although, there's also the probability they won't make that mistake again, in which case, let's try looking for Shadow instead: and get a look at that big guy in action again!' she thought as she turned, and started heading towards the river; confident she'd led the titan far enough away from the camp.
Suddenly, a red signal flare shot past the titan's face, "Wha- , Hange glanced over to where it had been fired from, and saw the Levi squad galloping past the titan, deliberately trying to get its attention, "OI! This way moron!" Levi shouted up at the beast: but the titan paid him no attention, and carried on chasing Hange: "Dammit! an abnormal!" Oruo cursed, "Stay on it!" Levi ordered, turning his horse and chasing after the titan, "HEY!-" Hange shouted, "Don't kill it! I need this guy alive!". "What the hell's that nut-job up to now?" Oruo huffed in annoyance, "You know Hange: never misses an opportunity to get close a to a titan" Petra shot back, "Ten to one she's using it as bait to try and lure Shadow back to camp" Gunther deadpanned, "-I don't care" Levi flatly stated as he drew his blades, "This one's going down".
The scientist carried on galloping, until she inadvertently led the chase to a wide clearing in the trees, with the river barely thirty yards away: the titan managed to gain some distance, and as the Levi squad were just about to leap out of their saddles and go on the attack, the titan lunged for Hange; actually catching her off guard. But at the moment the titan bent down forward with it's arms outstretched, a huge shadow descended over the clearing, and as everyone glanced up, an enormous white blur shot down through the trees, and struck the titan on its nape: blood arched up as the thing took off and up at a rapid speed, and the titan fell over dead.
The scouts all stopped, gazing up and around in confusion, only to see nothing: "Wha-... What the hell was that?!" Hange blurted out in astonishment, "I-, don't know: but I could've sworn I saw feathers" Eld admitted, unsure what just happened. Approaching the titan, the scouts all saw several gaping slash marks over where the nape had been: rather than sliced away cleanly with a set of pairing blades, the marks in the evaporating flesh indicated a more forceful attack, as if a giant set of claws or talons had dug into the skin and just ripped it out in one large chunk. "What the hell could do something like that?" Hange wondered aloud, gazing up at the sky through the canopy; "And where the hell did it go?" Levi frowned, getting a bad feeling that this meant trouble...
As they stood around the body of the fallen titan, the scouts nearly jumped with fright as a loud "COO COO" echoed through the trees: gazing up and around to see what it was, another "COO COO" sounded. "What is that? A dove?" Eld frowned in alarm, "Fucking big dove" Levi deadpanned. As they tried to locate the strange bird: something bright caught Petra's eye at the edge of the clearing, and as she glanced up to get a better look, the sight before her made her breath hitch; she froze, eyes wide in amazement, and not quite able to comprehend what she was seeing.
"Petra?" Hange suddenly noticed the look on her face, as did the rest of the squad: and as they all followed her gaze, they too were totally taken aback by the strange thing perched up in the giant tree...
As she stood perched on the branch with the titan's blood evaporating off her metal talons, Angel was careful to keep one wing slightly outstretched, so as to allow Carla and the snow twins some cover, enabling them to sneak into the canopy without the scouts seeing them: "Okay" Carla smiled up at her, as she reached for her concealment stone, "You got this, right?", to which Angel smiled and nodded confidently, "If they get too close and go for the nape, just remember what we practised: there's no way they'll be able to move once you have them trapped, and then it's just a case of shaking them out like fleas" Carla smiled: "And remember, curious puppy, not hissy kitty", Angel smiled as she let out a soft giggle, gently nudging Carla and the twins away, telling them to get going, "See you later," the twins whispered, and together the three of them blew on their concealment stones, popped them into their mouths, and vanished completely from sight.
If Elysia had to honest with herself, she was still very nervous about this: Levi worried her, and Hange's near-craziness had her even more concerned. 'No' she told herself with a determined frown, 'This needs to be done. Everyone's counting on me to do this right'. Taking a deep breath, she steadied her nerves, and began bobbing her head up and down beneath her outstretched wing, mimicking preening. She couldn't hear the scout's ODM gear, so they must be still on their horses, "Good, they're still in place..." she thought aloud, "Now they just need to give me a reason to look up" she smirked, feeling like a child about to indulge in some mischief...
The creature was nothing the scouts had ever seen before, a giant pure white bird over seven meters tall, it's feathers so white they seemed to glisten like freshly fallen snow, with a rainbow iridescence that reflected every colour imaginable: it had long tail feathers over ten meters in length, and it's back was covered in a huge long trailing crest that ran down from its head, with two large flank plumes cascading down over its shoulders and wings. It had one wing partially outstretched, and it's head concealed beneath said wing, bobbing up and down in a slight jerky movement: obviously in the act of preening. The creature was perched some twenty meters up in a giant tree, about less than eighty yards away, and clearly hadn't noticed the human's presence.
"What. Is that thing?!" Oruo hissed, trying to keep his voice as low as possible, "Clearly a bird; the biggest bird ever!" Hange gasped in a whisper, also keeping her voice low: as taken aback as she was, her fascination was piqued as she studied the strange creature. "Is that what killed the titan?!" Gunther whispered anxiously, "Don't know, I can't see any talons beneath all those feathers" Hange whispered back, "Let's not take any chances" Levi ordered in a hushed voice, "Everyone retreat to the treeline, slowly and quietly..."
As they turned their horses around, the scouts all remained silent as they walked out of the clearing, keeping their eyes in the giant bird, and hoping it wouldn't look up: but just as Oruo rode past a large briar patch, a sharp twig was loosened from the thorny grip of the bushes, and flicked up against his horse's flank, making the animal jump and whinny in surprise.
Suddenly, the creature's head shot up from beneath its wing, and its eyes instantly locked onto the scouts: the human froze beneath its gaze, but they were even more stunned to see that instead of a beak and typical bird face, the creature had a human face instead. That of a teenage girl, it's skin was white as snow, and covered in the same style of markings as Shadow: it's eyes were a pale ice blue, and it's lips a pale shade of lilac. As the creature turned around to get a better look at them, the scouts saw it had human legs with digigrade feet, and on those feet were, what looked like giant sets of armoured 'gloves' with long curved mental talons; it's body was human in profile with a feminine figure, the neck being slightly longer and it's face, neck, shoulders and the upper part of the chest devoid of feathers. As it gazed down at the humans, the strange giant let out a series of warbling chirps as it's head bobbed up and down slightly, much like a curious bird would.
Down on the ground, the scout's were as alarmed as they were weirded out, as they tried to make sense of the strange giant "...A bird? With the face of a titan?!" Oruo squeaked nervously, "A titan bird?" Hange raised an eyebrow, as her brain started to do cartwheels, "Or a bird titan?! How is such a creature even possible?!", "I don't know and I don't give a fuck!" Levi hissed, "If that thing even tries to-
But Levi didn't have time to finish, as the strange avian spread it's giant wings and glided down towards the forest floor, landing near the horses: the scouts immediately ordered their steeds to go, taking off for the forest. The giant didn't follow, and simply stood there in the clearing, somewhat bemused by their sudden departure: Levi led the way as they galloped back to camp, "Can you believe this?! A hybrid species of titan! This is definitely a first for mankind!" Hange bounced up and down in her saddle with excitement, "-We need to study it! We to get back to camp and- "-Like hell we are!" Levi angrily shut her up, "We need to get back and warn-
"-Sir!" Eld pointed up through the canopy: overhead, they saw the avian titan glide over the treetops, easily overtaking them with its superior speed; it's massive wingspan had to measure just over twenty meters, blotting out the light as it sailed overhead. It didn't take everyone long to realize it was flying in the direction of the camp. "-SHIT!" Levi cursed, "Brilliant! We'll be able to get a much better look!" Hange squealed, "Yeah! At it's nape!" Oruo frowned.
Mike and some of his teams were waiting by the treeline, wondering where Hange and the Levi squad had taken off to, when suddenly, one of the look-out's yelled "UP THERE!": glancing up, everyone was shocked to see a giant white bird fly over the trees and circle above the village. "-TAKE COVER!" Erwin bellowed loudly, and without hesitation every scout in the vicinity scrambled to find some cover, or to get up into the giant trees: chancing a glance up at the giant winged beast, most of the troops were dumbfounded to see it had a human-like face. "What the hell is that?!" one petrified rookie yelled in horror, "-Some kinda titan-bird?!".
The creature swooped down, and perched up on the roof of the church, bobbing it's head up and down as it looked all around the town, chirping and warbling it's strange avian vocalizations: every scout didn't know what to make of it, but as he studied the creature with a sharp eye, Erwin immediately noticed the strange black markings on its face and neck, and recognized the stylization right away; 'So, you're another of Shadow's 'relations' huh?' he thought offhand: "Orders?" Mike flew down next to the commander with his blades at the ready, Erwin drew in breath to speak, when suddenly,
"-ERWIN!" Hange waved to him as she emerged from the forest with Levi and his squad in tow, "DON'T KILL IT!": She and the squad flew out of their saddles and landed next to Erwin and Mike, "-What'd you think? We met our new friend here in the forest, she killed that titan you sniffed out!" she beamed over at Mike, who stared at her in surprise, "And look at it's feet!-" she pointed to the artificial metal talons, "Take a wild guess who made those!" she waggled an eyebrow smugly, "It's one of the titan hunters" Erwin frowned, having already figured it out, "Question is, how approachable is this one?", "-Only one way to find out!" Hange beamed as she took off, "-Hange!" the commander tried to grab her cloak, but she was already on the roof of the tavern, across from the church, "Cover her" Erwin ordered, "Tch! Like you need to ask" Levi deadpanned as he and his squad took off, and assumed a defensive semi-circle around the rear of the creature, keeping a safe distance as Hange cautiously grabbed the creature's attention.
As she carefully made her way along the rooftop, Hange watched as the creature bobbed its head in every direction, seemingly curious at every little sound, all the while it's expression was like that of a child: excited and curious to be here; more inquisitive than threatening. "My my, we are curious, aren't we?" Hange thought aloud under her breath, excitement coursed through her whole frame as she neared the giant: at seven meters tall, it was nowhere as big or strong as Shadow, but the fact it sported the same style of markings as he did, had Hange's mind bubbling with all kinds of theories. This was clearly a separate species of titan, so were the markings relevant in a cultural sense? What was this titan's relationship to Shadow and the children? How were those metal talons created? Was the creature trained to wear them, and subsequently trained to kill titans as well? So many ideas, so many possibilities: the scientist could just barely contain herself. 'Oh, at this rate we'll be returning to Trost with three journals-worth of new information!' she thought with glee, before forcing herself to focus, 'But first, let's see what you're like...'
As she gazed around the camp, Elysia played her part well: rather than let the scouts see how intelligent she really was, and potentially scare them into keeping their distance: it had been agreed that it would be best to play the 'curious puppy'; cheery, curious, naïve, and happy to see everyone, rather than try the firm approach (that would be Midnight's thing anyway). And for the most part, although all the scouts were scared by her, at least they weren't trying to kill her off the bat: as she surveyed the auras of the whole camp, she sensed Erwin and Mike watching her from the safety of the edge of town, the Levi squad assume a semi-circle around her blind-spot some fifteen meters or so away, and Hange trying to hide behind the roof of the tavern, steadily approaching her.
"Okay, it looks like everyone's hidden in their hidey holes" she thought aloud, "But what are you guys up to?..." she frowned internally as she sensed the auras of the Levi squad pulse with worry, wondering how this was going to play out, while Hange's aura was bubbling with glee and wonder, eager to approach her and talk, "...Well? At least one of you won't be disappointed... Looks like this might not be so bad after all" the weather-goddess smirked as she watched the titan scientist creep nearer, pretending to notice her by tilting her head to one side inquisitively, and chirping in a sing-song kind of call, as if to say: I see you!.
Having been spotted, Hange slowly stood up and approached closer, bowing submissively as she smiled up at the avian titan: "Hello there..." She spoke clearly and calmly, hoping not to spook the creature "...Do you understand me?". The bird-titan chirped happily, and with a powerful thrust of its legs, jumped the short distance from the church to the tavern: Levi and his squad nearly gasped in dread, but as they watched the creature sniff Hange up and down like a dog, they stayed put; even though the knots in their stomachs was tightening by the minute.
"Oh my! Well nice to meet you too!" Hange giggled as the titan's nose kept bumping her, almost knocking her on her ass: bringing her hands up to steady herself, she chanced a touch of its cheek, and to her excitement, the creature didn't seem to mind; running her hand over part of the makings, Hange was surprised to find that it wasn't paint. 'The marking, it's within the skin? Actually part of it?' she blinked in surprise, 'But, these are no natural markings that are like that of any other animal, so how did this come about? Natural? Or artificial somehow?'. Deciding to ponder on it later, the scientist got back to the task at hand, "Say, if you can understand what I'm saying, is there any way you can let me know?" she asked, to which the creature let out a long complex string of chirps and warbles, "Huh, you talk in-, bird calls?" Hange raised an eyebrow, "Well I guess that makes sense, seeing as your part bird an' all" she chuckled.
As they watched the exchange between Hange and the bird-titan, the whole camp was on tender hooks, wondering and worrying if this giant was actually friendly, or simply bluffing so as to get an easy meal: the same thought was running through Levi's mind as he watched in a mix of dread and annoyance. Sometimes, Hange could be mildly irritating, and then at other times, like now, she could be downright infuriating; how the hell she hadn't become titan food sooner was beyond everyone. By now, Levi was convinced she'd either been born under a very lucky star, or he had committed some horrendous horror in a previous life, and had been cursed to endure her in this one, along with her over-the-top eccentricities. For all her smarts and capability as a scout, Hange was a handful at times, and right now, she was really pushing the boat out. "How much longer is this going to go on?" Oruo cursed under his breath.
"Say" Hange suddenly got an idea, gazing down at the artificial talons, "Do you mind if I take a gander at that fancy footwear of yours? It looks ever-so impressive" the scientist carefully approached the titan's feet, and looked the blades up an down: while the bird-titan went back to watching around the camp. The talons weren't part of a 'boot', but rather, a sort of armoured glove, attached to the feet and toes via a series of leather straps, with silk sheaths over them to prevent chaffing: the armour plating was a mix of metal and leather, interlocking and intricately decorated with intertwining lines and shapes, most of which seem to resemble animals, trees and plants; as she ran her hand over one of the talon's, Hange was slightly taken aback, as she recognized the metal in question "Ultra-hard steel?" she thought aloud, "Where the hell did that come from? And how did those hunters get enough to make these?"
As they watched Hange inspect the Titan's metal talons, Erwin was pondering on how to go about this encounter, while Mike remained focus on the creature's behaviour: "... It's definitely no titan I've ever smelt before: just like Shadow" he thought aloud, "Shadow?" Erwin glanced at him curiously, "This morning, being close enough to get a good sniff this time: I was-, surprised to find he didn't have the scent of a typical titan, or any scent similar to any animal I've ever smelt before. It's likely these could be whole other species of titans, like Hange said: ones that don't behave like the titans we're used to dealing with... Of course, I could just be clasping at straws here: I'm just going with what my nose is telling me" the human hunting hound sighed. "Unorthodox as it my be, your nose has never been wrong before" Erwin replied, "True, but this time, it's telling me something I don't know: and I don't like not knowing" Mike frowned, "Me neither, so let's learn what we can from this..." Erwin concurred, before something else came to mind, "Also, we'll have to be careful not to seriously injure the titan: if the hunters are watching us right now, they won't take kindly to us harming or killing one of their own", "Easier said than done" Mike frowned.
As the bird-titan shuffled it's feet about, Hange moved back and away from the talons, "Well, you must be quite the commodity, being able to fly and slay titans..." She smiled: then, an idea popped into her head, 'Fly and slay titans? Now there's a concept! I wonder if it's used to having a rider on its back?': deciding to test the idea, Hange got out a couple of ration crackers she'd tucked away in her breast pockets, and waved one of them above her head, "Hey! You hungry?" she beamed: the bird-titan leaned down, and sniffed the cracker over. "What the fuck are you doing shitty-glasses?" Levi cursed under his breath. The bird-titan chirped cheerfully, and took the cracker out of Hange's hand with it's lips, grinding it up with its tongue against the roof of its mouth: it paused for a moment, as if analysing the flavour of the dry biscuit, before smiled and nodding with approval.
"Not freshly baked bread, but I guess it's okay..." Elysia thought offhand as she downed the tiny cracker, which was barely a crumb on her giant tongue. From what she gathered of Bryson's stories of his scouting days, Elysia knew the scouts rations mostly consisted of a cracker-like biscuit, that was made with a special kind of yeast that staved off mould and made it last a good long while. Indeed, it did have a strange dry taste to it, but it wasn't wholly unpalatable; just not someone's first idea of a snack or meal. As the cracker's flavour lingered on her tongue, Elysia couldn't help but think back to the days before Shiganshina's fall, and how every once in a while, Carla would bring her a whole bag of freshly baked bread rolls from the bakery near her house: she loved the taste of fresh bread, along with fruit buns, dumplings, strawberries, apples, peaches, and other nice things to eat...
'Why am I thinking about that now?' Elysia thought offhand, pushing the memories to one side, and focusing on Hange: judging from the scientist's aura, Elysia had a pretty good idea what she had in mind with the second cracker: "Sorry Hange, but I don't fancy Levi trying to slash my nape if I fly off with you"
"Want another?" Hange waved the second cracker over her head, before tossing it into the street below "-Go fetch!": the bird-titan jumped down after it, and as soon as it landed and picked up the cracker, the scientist leapt down onto its back, and disappeared among the thick crest of feathers. "HANGE!" Petra called out in alarm, but no answer came. The bird-titan glanced up at Petra, and flapping it's wings, flew up towards her in excitement. "-MOVE!" Levi ordered. In rapid synchronized formation, all five members of the squad flew up and over the bird-titan in a wide arch, much to the creatures amazement as it perched on a rooftop, and in one fast-paced burst of speed, all five squad members brought their blades up and aimed for the nape. Seeing this, the bird-titan squawked in a panic, flapping it's wings: and just as the squad flew within range-
FLOOF!
Every scout, including the commander, stared at the bird-titan in dumbfounded surprise, as all its feathers were completely standing on end: and now, instead of a lithe avian creature, there was now a giant white fluffy puffball standing on the rooftop with its wings partially outstretched. There was movement among the feathers on its back, and as he looked more closely, Erwin was surprised to see the Levi squad flaying about as they were caught up in the thick mass of feathers. Oruo was semi-concussed with his feet sticking up in the air and bleeding from the mouth, having accidentally bitten his tongue (again), Petra was struggling as if she were sinking into quicksand, with just her head and arms visible: Gunther was snagged in such a way that his arms were stuck above his head, Eld's arms were free, but his head was wedged between a few especially big feathers, and only Levi's head and feet were visible, having accidentally 'bellyflopped' right into the fluffy white mass; it would've been a rather amusing sight, had the captain not been scowling so hard.
The bird-titan then shook it's whole body vigorously, like a dog dispelling water from its coat: the five squad members plus Hange flew out in all directions, and crashed onto the nearby rooftops, while the bird-titan ruffled it's feathers, letting them settle back into place. "...That's one hell of a defence" Mike blinked in surprise, "Indeed" Erwin concurred in equal astonishment, "Unusual to say the least, but highly effective"
"Wow! Those feathers a way thicker than they look!" Hange chuckled as she picked herself up, only to be booted back down onto her ass by the captain: "The next time you try pulling a stunt like that, I swear I'll-, "-Oh cool your heels Levi, I had the situation well in hand," Hange waved off as she rubbed her backside, "Speaking of which, we must try and get a sample of one of those feathers: no one would ever believe such a creature could existence, unless we bring back proof of some kind!" she smiled as she watched the bird-titan preen itself, licking some of the more wayward fathers back into place. Suddenly, the bird-titan lifted its head up as it sniffed the air, and glanced down at the supply wagon with an eager smile, "...Shit" Levi scowled. And before anyone could react, the titan took off and flew down to land near the wagon: "-Oh no!" Hange panicked as she took off after it.
"Don't let it get at the rations!" Levi ordered as he flew over the titan's head, and landed on the wagon, holding his blade up to its face threateningly, "OI! I'm warning you-
But the creature simply deadpanned at Levi, and with a big inhale of air, blew him off the wagon's canvas roof as if he were a fly: Hange then tried to grab its attention by tugging at its long tail feathers, which did make it glanced over its shoulder, "Hey come on! Don't be so greedy now!" at the same time, Gunther and Eld landed on the wagon roof, while Oruo and Petra tried to circle it from above. Quickly realizing its mistake, the creature flew back up onto a nearby roof, and proceeded to caw loudly at the scouts, as if begging for another cracker: Erwin and Mike decided to join Hange and the squad on the ground, while Levi picked himself up.
"So what was the logic in that move back there?" Erwin glanced sideways at the scientist, "I thought it might be used to having a rider on its back? But apparently its not feasible: with those feathers being so thick, I don't think anyone can ride it without being swamped" Hange explained, "I think it's fair to say the shit-face has out-stayed it's welcome," Levi scowled up at the creature: "If it's taken a liking to the ration crackers, that's going to be a real problem if it tails us the rest of the way" Erwin thought aloud, "We can't risk harming it either: in case the hunters decide to take action against us", "Then it's a good thing I've got an idea to get rid of the thing" Levi glanced over at the commander, "I'm going to need a few more crackers"
As she kept up the 'begging for scraps' routine, Elysia watched as Levi grabbed another few crackers out of the back of the wagon, stuffed them into his pockets, and took off fast: shooting past her face in a wide arch over the river. Taking off after him, the weather goddess was stunned when, in one rapid move,the captain suddenly recalled his lines and shot them into her left shoulder: before she could do anything, he came straight at her, and with his blades drawn he sliced all the primaries off her left wing, pulled out the grappling hooks and flew back down to the nearest rooftop.
Elysia panicked a little as she flapped hard and fast, desperately trying to stay aloft: but she just spun round and round, crashing into the river near the opposite bank. "Okay, did not see that coming!-" she gaspedin stunned amazement, "...Well he didn't go for the nape a second time round, so that's something" She thought offhand as she stood up in the shallow water, flapping her wings and shaking the water out of her feathers. "Sorry about that!" she heard Hange shout across the river, "I hope we can still be friends after this!"
"Oh yeah, still gotta give them an incentive to follow me..." Elysia suddenly remembered, "...Hey Javorin, you nearby?", "Right over the town with a good view of you and everyone else" the god replied as he hovered over the town in his elemental form, "See if you can do something to get the scouts to follow me across the bridge will you?", "You mean like, making the wind snag the map out of Mike's pocket, have it fly across the river, and conveniently land on your back?" he smirked, "That'll do nicely" she smirked as she waded out of the water, flapped her wings one more time, and proceeded to pretend to preen herself: waiting for Javorin to make his move.
At the same time across the river, a sudden powerful gust of wind blew up, snagging the scouts cloaks and pulling them over their heads, and as they straightened themselves out, a familiar piece of paper flew past Mike's face from out of his back-pocket: "No!-" he panicked as he tried to grab it, but missed. "What was that?" Hange raised an eyebrow, "The map to our next location!". The scouts watched in dread as the paper unfolded on the wind, tumbling through the air as it was carried over the river, and snagged onto the back of the bird-titan, wedging between its feathers. "...You've got to be kidding me" Levi deadpanned with ire, "Erwin, that's the only map we have to our next location on the supply route, I haven't even gone over it properly yet!" Mike fretted, "Then we've got to get it back!" Hange proposed, "The titan is unable to fly, and I doubt it'll be able to get far on the ground with that huge tail: if we move now, we'll catch up to it easily!" she suggested, watching as the creature disappeared into the forest: its bright white feathers standing out against the dark shadows of the trees. "Move out!" Erwin ordered.
Across the river, further into the forest: Elysia came across Hecate in a shaded hollow, waiting for her with Ash, Rowan, Dale, Falken, Eraman, Josefa, Jaye, Carla and the twins. "Hey sweetie," Carla smiled as she flew down to greet her with a gentle stroke on the cheek, "Very nicely done" she praised her, to which she smiled and gave her a nose-boop. "So, not so scary after all?" Hecate smirked, "He's fast, and precise" Elysia admitted fretfully, before deadpaning, "But honestly? He's just more annoying than scary. Knock yourself out", "Well? If he wasn't able to scare you entirely, then this is going to be easier than I thought" the black and white goddess smiled slyly.
Flying down to Angel's back, Lucy removed the map snagged in her feathers, flew back up to Falken and handed it to him, "Well, this will certainly bring the scouts over here, good thing they don't copy their maps eh?" he stated as he read it over, "So we better clear out, and get into position for the next 'observation'" Ash fired his lines up into the canopy and took off. Falken held the map in his outstretched arm, and let it fall back down to the ground, where Angel caught between her lips, "Nice work Angel" he smiled. "Midnight, your time to shine babe, have fun!" Rowan stroked her cheek before following the others up into the canopy, leaving the two god-titan's to their own devices: "Join us as soon as you've plucked those feathers out, okay?" Carla called to her as she took off, to which Angel nodded with a chirp.
"You better get going," Elysia suggested as she dropped the map, and started plucking the clipped feathers with her teeth, watching as new ones grew into place within seconds, "The scouts will be here any second", "They haven't crossed the bridge yet, so we're in no rush: after I'm done here, tell Herne to get ready for his introduction", "Sure: what've you got in mind for the scouts, per se?"
"Oh, I'll think of something..." Hecate smirked.
A short time later:
Deciding not to get caught out on the ground again, the Scouts left their horses back at camp, and after crossing the bridge on foot, took to the giant trees and made their way to where the avian titan had exited the river. Finding its trail was not so hard, as they followed the wet leaf litter deep into the forest: until they came to a shallow hollow, where a pile of sliced feathers littered the ground and the grass had been trodden flat, and off to one side by a fallen tree, the map lay on the ground. "...Aw dammit" Hange sighed in disappointment as she and the scouts landed on a branch, "Looks like our new friend flew the coop", "On the plus side, we got our map back" Mike pointed to said map, before flying down and swiping it up in one move, "Tch!- Good riddance" Levi scoffed.
After Mike perched next to the others, he dusted off the map and smoothed out the creases, "Still in one piece, that was-. The human hunting hound suddenly froze as he sniffed the air: his eyes widened in alarm and his whole frame stiffened. "Mike?" Hange blinked in surprise, "Is it a titan?"
"It's one of them..." he simply replied: "Who? Shadow or the bird-titan?" Erwin pressed him, "Neither, it's a new one". "A new one?! Where?!" Hange instantly perked up, "-Cool it shitty-glasses!" Levi shot her a look, before pressing Mike "Where is it?", "I-, don't know" Mike swallowed hard.
As the scouts grouped closer together for protection, they had their backs to each other, so to not miss an inch of their surroundings: here, the forest was especially dark and quiet. The thick canopy concealed the understory in darkness, and all around the air seemed to grow still and cold. A titan could be hiding anywhere in the gloom, but as they scanned the foliage for any sign of movement, the scouts began to get the unnerving feeling that they were being watched. Off to one side, some couple of hundred yards away, the sound of trees creaking and straining drew everyone's attention: something was moving out there, and no one could see what it was.
As the scouts kept their eyes and ears trained on the disconcerting sound: Oruo suddenly felt an uncomfortable itch begin to irritate him, right between his shoulder blades, below the back-support plate of his ODM gear harness; in that one spot that was almost impossible to reach. Wriggling to try and get rid of it, the itch refused to let up, but he knew he couldn't drop his blades to scratch it: he was stuck, and its was annoying to no end. "What's up with you?" Petra whispered, sensing his movement but not taking her eyes off the strange sound, "I got an itch!" he hissed, trying to keep his voice down, "Well stop it, you might give away our position!", "Yeah no shit!" he huffed.
Then suddenly, Oruo felt a something sharp and pointed through his uniform jacket; it slid down his back, and begin scratching hard, right where the itch was: replacing the annoying irritation with that sweet satisfying feeling of relief. He relaxed as he leaned back a little, and smirked as he closed his eyes in satisfaction, "Ah, Petra my dear, you have no idea how good that feels". "What?" Petra snapped her head round to face him, "What the hell are you talking ab-
She froze
Seeing the look of horror on her face, Erwin realized she was gazing up at something behind Oruo, behind all of them. As he silently turned, the commander felt his blood freeze, as he too gazed up and locked eyes with the entity: seeing the look on his face and realizing they were now in serious trouble, everyone else slowly turned round, and stiffened as well; half out of fear, half out of astonishment...
Opening his eyes, Oruo noticed how everyone was staring up at something behind him, their eyes wide with shock: "...What're you all staring at?" he raised an eyebrow: and upon turning around, gawked in horror...
Squatting down low on the branch right across from their own, barely several meters away, was the giant female black and white titan. She looked to be about a fifteen meter class with a lean and voluptuous frame: her hair was as long as her whole hight and blacker than a raven's feathers with a violet iridescent sheen, while her markings were a stark contrast of obsidian black and bleached bone white, with her facial markings reassembling a skull, and part of her chest and abdominal markings resembling ribs and a spine. The more elaborate markings were on her back, while her arms and legs were completely black from the upper arms and thighs down: her fingers were tipped with long sharp claws, her face was fair and elegant, and her skin was as smooth and flawless as porcelain. With pale purple lips and rich amethyst eyes had the most piercing stare anyone had ever seen, like that of an alpha predator: fearless, commanding, dominant; and terrifying to the point it made one's blood freeze.
It didn't take a genius to realize she was the one who'd been scratching Oruo's back, as the tip of her claw still hovered within inch's of his torso: "YAH!-" Oruo panicked as he shot up and off into the canopy, followed hastily by the others, "-WHAT THE HELL?!" the scout continued to panic as he fumbled to try and get a footing on a branch, "-WHERE THE FUCK DID THAT THING COME FROM?!". Looking back, everyone saw the titan smirk slyly up at them, as she rested her elbow on her knee, and rested her chin on the back of her hand: gazing up at them in a mix of fascination and amusement.
"This must be Midnight, and it would appear she's found us..." Erwin frowned as he watched the titan stand up on the branch, step across to the one they'd been standing on, and leaned against the truck as she tried to get a closer look at them: "Yeah no shit" Levi frowned as he glared down at the giant. "-Oh sweet Sina! She is gorgeous!" Hange practically salivated, "Hey sweetie! Nice to meet you at last! Your lil' friends told us all about you!" she waved to her, to which the titan waggled her clawed fingers at them, "-Don't encourage it! That thing's a killing machine with those claws! Holy shit I can't believe it touched me!" Oruo continued to fret as he swatted Hange's arm down. The titan then smiled up at them, revealing a mouth full of sharp teeth, and two prominent upper canines, "-Shit! That thing has fangs!" Gunther swallowed hard. "Oh what nice big teeth you have!" Hange cooed, "-All the better for eating titans with, am I right?"
The titan didn't reply, as she stepped off the branch and landed softly on the ground some twenty five meters below, without making so much as a booming thud: as if she hardly weighted anything at all, "Whoa, she didn't even make the ground and trees vibrate" Mike blinked in surprise as he watched her stand back up, and proceed to slowly circle around the base of the tree, trailing one hand over the bark as she watched the scouts with that sly sultry smile: like a cat eyeing up a nest of birds, and contemplating how to get to them.
"How the hell did she sneak up behind us like that?!" Eld frowned, "I didn't hear anything, did you?" he glanced over at the commander. "None of us did," Mike frowned as well, "I didn't even smell how close she was", "Obviously those claws must be able to afford her a bit of manoeuvrability up in the trees, they certainly look strong enough to hold her weight" Hange smiled as she leaded over the side of the branch. "A titan that can climb trees? That doesn't sound like something I want to contend with" Petra thought aloud anxiously. "Question is though," Levi glanced down, watching as she circled behind the tree, "What does she want now?"
"Uh? Where did she go?" Oruo swallowed hard as he gazed down the opposite side of the trunk: worried, everyone scanned the forest floor below, but the titan was gone. "What? How does a titan that size disappear without making a sound?!" Hange snapped her head back and forth, desperately trying to locate her, "The same way she snuck up on us," Erwin frowned as he began to feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end, "Stay sharp, she could be anywhere...". Drawing their blades, the scouts watched and listened, checking the shadows for any hint of movement: then suddenly, Erwin felt himself jerk backwards as someone tugged on his cloak. Snapping his head round, he felt his breath hitch as he saw a giant black clawed hand retreat behind the trunk.
"There!-" Mike shouted as he caught a glimpse of the huge hand behind the commander, only to see the black and white giant emerge from the other side of the trunk, and jump down to the forest floor, where she darted into the understory: she stood still and silent, watching them as her purple eyes glowed in the darkness. "Eyes on her!" Erwin ordered, "Don't loose sight of her!"
"If that's her idea of fun, I'm not game" Levi scowled down at her, "...If she could climb up into a tree without making a sound, what else could she do if any of us loose sight of her again?" Eld concurred, "Or even better, what might she do if a titan comes along?" Hange threw in. "That might be something" Petra agreed, "At least we could slip away", "Unfortunately, I'm not smelling any other titans nearby," Mike frowned, "Okay, so what do we do?" Gunther worried.
"...The children said she has a thing for games: well that could mean anything. We don't have the time to indulge her, and we can't take the risk anyway, since we don't know what she has in mind" Erwin thought aloud as he watched the titan smiling up at them, "And if what they said is true, we can't risk provoking her either". "So what do we do?" Levi deadpanned. Glancing back the way they came, Erwin could just make out the river through the dense forest, a slither of blue broken up by the endless green: calculating roughly where the bridge was in relation to their current position, the commander had an idea; "We split up: all of us scatter in different directions, and whoever she chases will be the one to keep her distracted, while the rest of us head for the bridge, a few miles in that direction. Once back at camp we'll bring reinforcements to rescue whoever's keeping her put" he pointed in said direction, north-eastwards. "Okay" Levi nodded, "This should be interesting!" Hange grinned excitedly.
"But remember, do not engage unless you absolutely have to: simply keep her attention on you, and don't lead her to the bridge" Erwin added.
"So, that's how your going to play it huh?" Hecate thought aloud.
As she read their aura's, the black and white goddess easily picked out the captain's, and could 'see' the direction he was intending to go in. "GO!-" she heard Erwin bark, and all at once the scouts scattered throughout the canopy. Emerging from the understory, Hecate followed Levi: hearing her unusually light footfalls, the scout glanced down and shot her a hairy eyeball, "Shit!" she heard him curse under his breath "-Guess I'm the lucky bastard who gonna keep you company"
"You guessed right handsome" she smirked to herself, "Though, I'm gonna have to throw a little hiccup into your commander's plan..."
As Levi sailed through the trees, he glanced behind him again, and was horrified to see the titan running in the opposite direction, right for the bridge: "SHIT!-" he banked hard and started chasing after her. As the giant managed to stay several meters ahead of the captain, she glanced over her shoulder and shot him a smirk: Levi felt his stomach tie into a knot, 'Did-, Is she able to understand our language too?' he thought anxiously, 'If that's the case, then we're seriously fucked!'. Determined not to let her have her satisfaction, Levi stayed on her, waiting and watching for an opening to present itself...
A little ways behind, the rest of his squad kept their eyes on him, as they too chased after the titan: "Come on, he's going to need our help!" Eld frowned.
Glancing through the trees back the way he'd came, Erwin was surprised to see the black and white giant running straight for the bridge, with Levi in hot pursuit: "ERWIN!-" Hange called to him as she and Mike regrouped, "I think it's safe to assume she overheard everything you said, and understood all of it!", "It would appear so" Erwin frowned, "Change of plans, get ahead of her and regroup!" he ordered, "Looks like the captain has other plans," Mike pointed to Levi, as he put on a burst of speed and arced over the titan's head, with the rest of his squad splitting up and covering him from his flanks.
"Finally, now we can have some fun" Hecate smirked as the Levi squad moved into position, and readied themselves for action: confident they had her at a disadvantage. High above in the canopy ahead, she sensed the aura's of the second observation team, while behind her to her right, she sensed Erwin, Hange and Mike trailing from a distance, watching and waiting to see what would happen next...
Everyone was in position, just where she needed them to be...
The titan suddenly put on the breaks, leaning forward and kicked up dirt and leaf litter as her foot ploughed through the earth, stopping just five hundred yards short of the bridge. The Levi squad banked hard as they doubled back to attack: so well trained and rehearsed in their skills that Levi didn't need to issue any orders, they simply assumed their standard attack formation, and flew in for the kill.
As the titan straightened up, the scouts were alarmed to see a wicked smile grace her fair lilac lips; regardless, Petra and Oruo aimed for her eyes, and flew right at her at high speed. In practically the blink of an eye the titan did a full split, ducking down while also reaching up to grab their lines, effectively rendering them helpless: in the same instance, Eld and Gunther aimed low to go for her ankles, but just as the titan spilt her legs and dropped, her hands quickly flicked down and around to catch their cables too, taking all four squad members completely by surprise. In one fast move she rolled to one side, allowing her legs to close together and roll onto her back, and with the scouts cables still in her hands she thrust her knees up to her chin, using her weight and momentum to kick up and land back on her feet. After which she took all four terrified scouts in one hand, and dangled them helplessly by their cables: the whole confrontation ended in the same moment it began, barely lasting ten seconds.
"We-, failed?!"
"How the hell did she do that?!"
"-Dammit she's fast!"
"CAPTAIN! HELP US!"
Her smile still in place, the titan glanced over at a stunned Levi, who had managed to dodge out of the way at the last possible second, and watched helplessly as his squad was quickly rendered helpless. He couldn't believe it, for the first time ever, a titan had completely bested his squad, and in less than two moves to boot: from where they were watching at a safe distance, Erwin, Hange and Mike were equally stunned; "Where-, how did she learn to do that?!" Hange gawked, unsure whether to be amazed or alarmed.
Infuriated, Levi readied his blades and eyed up the black and white titan with a hateful glair: she simply continued to smile at him, as if taunting him to come at her. Sure enough, the captain took the bait, and in one blinding burst of speed, the human flew like a bullet through the air: a blur against the greenery of the forest, as he circled her in rapid succession. The titan however, simply stood there: neither trying to defend herself or trying to run, as the captain shot by her huge form, missing her by mere inches; but it was as if she had been expecting this, as she was totally relaxed and calm. 'What is she doing?!' Levi fumed internally as he readied to make his move...
This particular attack never failed to take a titan by surprise, even the fastest abnormal's were unable to dodge out of the way when he was travelling at this speed: this was when the captain's shortness was his greatest advantage, being smaller and lighter meant he could go much faster than most of the other scouts. And as his squad watched helplessly from where they dangled on their cables, the captain turned sharply, and aimed right for her nape at a ninety-degree angle: staying in her blind-spot. Titan hunter or not, he would not be bested by any titan, not even this one...
Time seemed to slow as the captain brought this blades down hard, ready to perform his signature spinning attack. But just as he flew within a few meters of her nape, the titan whipped her head forwards, sending her hair flying upwards, and easily snagging the captain: tangling his lines and handgrips as he tumbled over and down her back, caught in the thick black hair; effectively disabling him.
"CAPTAIN!" Petra panicked as she watched him hang there in a daze. Before he had a chance to get his bearings, the titan reached around behind her and grabbed him by the torso with her one free hand, keeping his arms pinned to his sides while she pinned his legs against the heel of her palm. But the worst moment came when everyone watched her raise him to her mouth and part her lips: but instead of biting him in two, she positioned each blade between her teeth, snapping them off and spitting them out. She then teased him from out of her hair single-handedly, just as he snapped out of his dazed confusion. "Captain!" Eld called out to him, "I'm okay..." he called back, glaring up at the titan in a mix of astonishment and sheer annoyance, who simply smiled down at him as if to say: well that was fun.
"Put us down you oversized bitch!" he fumed, the titan simply rolled her eyes as she let out a sharp "-TCH!". The captain blinked in surprise, before glaring hard up at her, "What? You trying to mock me or something?". She ignored him as she gazed over at Erwin, smirking as he, Hange and Mike cautiously flew nearer: "...If she took out Levi with one flick of her hair, what the hell's she gonna do to us?" Mike worried, "I dunno, but I got an idea I'd like to try out!-" Hange grinned as she barrelled headlong at the titan, and perched up on a branch near her head: "Hey there! That was quite a performance! Where'd you learn to do that?!" she called over to her, "Hange you crazy shit! Get outta here!" Levi shouted angrily. The titan glanced up at her with a raised eyebrow and a smirk, half-curious as she continued.
"So I guess the game is over huh? You won and got your prize, now what?" the scientist asked eagerly, "Now you find a way to help us get outta this mess!" Levi shouted up at her: Erwin and Mike landed alongside the titan on another nearby branch, she glanced sideways at them but kept facing forward, giving another glance up at Hange and then down at the ensnared Levi squad, all of whom didn't dare to make a move. "She's being careful: now that she's got her hands full she's only got so many options..." Erwin realized with a frown, "...Although, this could still be a very tricky proposition if she intends on dragging this out". "What about if we ask nicely?" Hange suggested nonchalantly, "Hey Midnight? Would you mind giving us our captain and his squad back? Pretty please?"
The titan shot her a sly smirk as she raised one hand with her index finger pointed, keeping the rest of her fingers tightly balled up so as to hold onto the squad, "On one condition?" Hange guessed aloud, to which the the titan nodded: "Uh, okay? What is it?". The titan pointed to her nape, and shook her head, waving her finger as if to tut-tut them. "-Oh! You don't want anyone going near your nape again?" Hange realized, "What?!" Levi exclaimed: the titan nodded, and gazed down at Levi with a satisfied grin, "If you seriously expect me to apologize, forget it!" the captain fumed, "Uh Levi? I don't know if you noticed? But she's kinda got you guys at a disadvantage," Hange pointed out teasingly, "I don't think it would hurt for you to say sorry this one lil' time?" she tried giving him her best puppy-eyes, to which the captain was immune to. But before he could retort, Petra beat him to it, shouting in a panic "Listen! We're sorry okay! We promise not to do it again!"
It was only then that the redhead suddenly realized what she said, and began to feel sick in her stomach as dread crept up her throat: as if making herself look the fool for being unprofessional was bad enough, speaking out of turn wasn't going to earn her any favours now (even under the circumstances), as the captain glanced down at her in surprise. But, much to her surprise (and everyone else's), Midnight leaned down and gently deposited the four squad members on the ground next to her foot, letting them recall their lines as she let go of the grappling hooks: none of them wasted any time in flying back up into the canopy and regrouping with Erwin and other two section commanders.
As a particularly sour scowl graced the captain's brow, Levi reluctantly swallowed his pride, and took a deep breath: "...I'm sorry I tried to slice your nape: now put me down!" he grumbled in a sarcastic tone, to which Hange teased, "You forgot to say please!", "...Please..." the captain growled bitterly. Satisfied, Midnight opened her hand, and let him fall straight down. The captain quickly shot his lines and flew up to the rest of his squad, making a mental note to not forget this.
"Happy?" he shot her another glair, which she ignored with that mocking smirk of her's. "Does that mean we're free to go?" Erwin cautiously asked. Midnight smiled as she waggled her fingers at them, turned, and walked back into the forest with an alluring sway in her step. "Okay, well, that was something," Hange sighed with relief as a nervous smile crossed her lips, "...You know? it's funny", "What is?" Erwin asked in bemusement, "That's the first time in a long while a titan's actually scared me: how the hell did she learn to move like that? And how did she know when to grab your lines?" she glanced over at the squad, "It's almost like, she knew the formation you guys were going to use, and knew exactly what to do to counter it. But more than that, how was she able to tell which direction you'd be attacking from?" she gazed over at Levi in a stunned daze; the captain frowned as he let his gaze drop in a mix of shock and embarrassment, "I don't know, but I can promise you it'll be the last time that bitch catches us off-guard!"
Seeing the look of deep thought in the commanders eyes, Mike asked, "What's up?"
"She was prepared for us," Erwin thought aloud, "Not only does she understand our language, but she knew your standard attack formation well enough to anticipate which direction you'd be coming from" he gazed at Levi, "It's clear these titan-hunters have been doing more than just observing us," he gazed back at the area where Midnight disappeared into, "They've been learning our tactics and techniques"
"Then, what was that all about back there?" Eld asked in confusion, "Think about it" Erwin glanced over at him with a canny look in his eyes, "If I wanted to send the message that I'm tolerating you, but won't stand for any nonsense: how would I do it?". Everyone paused as they tried to make sense of the commander's ambiguous question, but Hange was the first to realize where he was coming from, "-Oh I get it! That whole scratching Oruo's back and tugging your cloak, that was meant to be a 'look what I can do' kinda thing!"
"Seriously? She was just showing off?" Gunther knitted his brows together in confusion, "But then doesn't that put her at a disadvantage? Revealing her best strategy right off the bat? That's not the smartest move" Mike pointed out, "Neither was the standard attack formation" Erwin replied, "But we made the mistake of treating her as we do any other titan: the same goes for Shadow and the bird-titan. Understandable, given this is our secondary encounter, but we must learn from this. After what we've seen thus far, we're going to have to seriously rethink how we approach these particular titans: as well as review our standard practises when out in the field. If we're to stay one step ahead of these titans, then we've got to start treating them as a far more capable entity"
"Sure, I get that" Levi frowned, "But what about the brats? No doubt you've already noticed, but we've only briefly seen 'mother' thus far, and no sign of 'dad' or any other adults anywhere. Judging from all those arrows we found near Whitefall we know they number well over a few dozen at the least. There's more of them out there, so how come they're sending their kids to deal with us?"
"We don't know that for certain" Erwin surmised, "However, the only line of logic that would make sense: would be to get us to lower our guard. Children that young, seemingly inexperienced, against a team of capable veteran scouts wouldn't last long in a direct fight: at least, that's what many of us would assume, and that would be a reasonable premise to go on. Send in someone who appears to be the weaker opponent, easy to take down should something go awry: allowing us to believe we hold the high ground"
"It's a reasonable line of logic, but not the only one" Hange pointed out, "No" Erwin glanced over at her, "For all we know I could be totally wrong, and their interest in us is based on an entirely different reason; one's things for certain though. They know how to observe us without getting caught: they've been doing this for some time, and know what we're all about. The question now is, how do we get the drop on them?"
"Easier said than done" Levi deadpanned, "For all we know they could be somewhere nearby, listening to us right now...". The rest of the squad gazed all around the forest in anxiousness: suddenly, every shadow, every bush, every dense thicket and even the canopy itself, seemed to appear more threatening, as they realized just how many good places there are for someone to hide out here. Knowing Levi had a point, Erwin coolly replied "Then we will continue this discussion, after we return to Trost. For now, let's get back to camp" he stated as he shot his lines, and headed back to the bridge with everyone trailing close behind.
At the same time, high up in the canopy above, the 'titan-hunters' watched as the scouts left the forest and crossed over the river: promptly returning to their encampment.
"Damn, he really is a smart one," Falken scratched his head offhand, both impressed and alarmed by Erwin's shrewdness: "Told ya" Ariana smirked, "He's definitely going to keep us on our toes," Lucy sighed offhand, "Yeah, but it's not like we can't be sneaky either" Lucius smirked.
"Do you think it's a good idea sending in Boar next? After what those guys took away from Midnight's little 'encounter', they probably won't be caught out a second time now" Ash commented offhand, "Well? We'll wait and see what Tyto's team reports" Carla shrugged, "After all, this is an 'introduction' of sorts: and it'd be quite improper to leave one of us out just because our 'guests' got cold feet" she smirked.
"You enjoyed that little tussle, didn't you?" Ariana smiled over at the white huntress, "Hm, I'll admit, seeing that rude little so-and-so get put in his place was quite fun..." Carla smiled, before frowning in seriousness, "And if he does anything to step out of line with us, you can be sure I'll be there to set him right". "Easy there Carla, you'd have to catch him first" Falken joked.
As they crossed the bridge and re-entered Neness, the scouts allowed themselves to feel a little relief, now that they were back in the protective shelter of the camp: "So if that black and white bitch is in that area of the forest, how're we going to get past her tomorrow? What do we do if she decides to have 'a little fun' with us? And what if that over-sized feathered shit decides to help itself to the supply wagon? Once we're out in the open we'll be vulnerable in any direction from above" Levi frowned, "We can't go back the way we came either" Mike pointed out, "The nearest heavy-wagon bridges are over fifteen miles in either direction, we'll loose time if we take the long way round", "Then we'll go over the map and re-evaluate the formation, as well as our procedure for keeping the wagons safe" Erwin stated. "Or!-" Hange piped in excitedly, "How about we find one of the kids, and ask them if they can keep our new feathered friend off us until we're clear of this whole region! It can't hurt to ask? It certainly didn't with Midnight"
Erwin paused as he considered the idea, "...Hm,", "It's a long shot I know, but if these titans have some concept of manners, then surely they can't be totally unreasonable?" Hange reasoned, "I'll believe that when I see it" Levi scoffed, "Perhaps: but if any of us run into the children before then, be sure to ask them" he ordered.
Mike was about to ask something, when unexpectedly, Nanaba came running up to them: "Nanaba?" Mike stiffened, seeing the alarm in her eyes, "What's wrong?" he demanded. "We've got a situation sir," she replied as she stopped to catch her breath, pointing to a whole other cluster of steam plumes rising up above the trees less than a mile away, on the opposite side of town. "...In the last five minutes the steam has been drawing nearer, no one can see or hear anything and no titans have been sighted: but no one knows what to do if any of the titan-hunters come within proximity of the camp perimeter"
"Maintain the perimeter, and call for additional support if needed" Erwin ordered, "The steam's not the only concern commander," the young woman added, "Come take a look..." she beckoned him to follow, as she fired her lines and flew off over the rooftops towards the north-western side of town: Erwin and the others all followed, and before long they reached a small cluster of houses that sat right alongside the treeline, next to a large area of understory that had dense bushes and trees below; essentially creating a 'wall' of foliage that seemed almost impenetrable.
"...Look down there..." Nanaba directed their gaze several meters back into the understory, where a small patch of long grass could just barely be seen. Swishing back and forth amid the long green blades, was a huge hairless tail with a tuff of red fur on the tip. Following the tail to its owner, the scouts were taken aback when they noticed the silhouetted outline of a huge animal sitting motionless amid the greenery, and up where it's head was, they could make out an enormous pair of curved tusks, and a set of golden eyes; watching them from the gloom. The rest of it was obscured by the foliage, but it was clear it was a beast of massive proportions.
"Gelgar and I went to relieve Henning and Lynne from perimeter watch: but when we got here we both spotted that thing. It must've been sleeping there this whole time: a colossal boar that size doesn't wander near a campsite without creating a racket" the younger woman explained,
"A colossal boar? I thought those were only a myth?" Petra blinked in surprise, "Not out here in Maria: in the interior they're vary rare, but in the forests and mountains of the outerlands they can be found in most places; or so I've heard" Mike replied, "And with the wind blowing from the west it's no wonder he crept up on us: the only reason a boar would come so close to camp would be for an easy meal, and given how big those tusk are, as well as his bulk, it wouldn't take him a lot of effort to flip one of the supply wagons"
"In other words, we gotta see this bastard off before he has a chance to cause trouble" Oruo grinned smugly, "Hardly an issue I say,"
Petra was about to chastise him, when suddenly, the sound of trees crashing and breaking grabbed everyone's attention, as a three meter abnormal titan came barrelling over a ridge-line some thirty meters away, and was hurtling right for the scouts. Leaping through the understory on all fours like a frog, it had a head that was two sizes too big for its body, with crazy eyes that were darting in every direction, and a mouth full of horse-like buck teeth that were set in a wide comical grin; it would have been rather hysterical, had it not been so terrifyingly fast, as it reached them within hardly any time at all. "-Prepare for battle!" Erwin barked, in the same moment everyone reached for their blades.
But just as the titan pounced up at the roof they were perched on, the 'colossal boar' exploded out of the foliage: and in a rapid blur of movement, it grabbed the titan by the nape, swung it over its head, clearing the roof and scouts by six feet, and hurled it face first into the ground on the other side of the house, creating a small shallow crater in the paved street.
The boar was no boar at all: but rather, a very peculiar-looking seven meter titan with massive oversized muscular arms and hands, ending in large sharp claws with shorter but equally muscular legs, allowing him to walk on all fours like a gorilla. His face was somewhat extended with his nose and mouth protruding a little; more animalistic than titan, with those massive tusks curling out from his upper jaw, and ears that were long and pointed with little tuffs of fur on the tips. He sported a huge thick mane of fiery red hair that extended right down his back, while his skin was a deep tanned shade of bronze. And all over his back, arms, legs, neck, face and tail, where more of the same strange markings that Shadow, Midnight and the bird-titan had.
The regular titan tried to get back up, but the tusked giant wouldn't let it, as it gabbed the nape again and ripped it out effortlessly with one of its huge hands, tearing out part of the spine along with it. The scouts were left speechless for moment as the newcomer flicked the blood off his hand, grunting and growling as he sniffed his kill up and down, before gazing up at them with those golden animal-like eyes, and standing up on his hind legs to get a better look at them, easily standing a few meters taller than the rooftop.
The commotion hadn't gone unnoticed by the rest of the camp, and with the events of earlier still fresh in their minds, the rest of the scouts wasted no time in readying themselves for battle. Within half a minute, the new strange titan was surrounded on all sides as the scouts flew into position: eager to put this one in its place. The titan gazed up at the numerous humans flying around him, but made no show of aggression or any attempt to try and run, he stood there calmly as they assumed their standard defensive circle, and moved closer to try and cover the commander's flanks, "-NO ONE MOVE!" Erwin barked sternly. Given the risky situation, many of the scouts were confused, but no one questioned the commanders order, and everyone remained in place: waiting nervously as they watched.
Erwin and the others instinctively backed away: but Hange being Hange of course, instantly snapped out of her shock, and waved to the titan, "-Hey there! Who might you be?"
Levi and the rest of the squad grimaced: '...Good ol' Hange' Petra thought with an exasperated smile, while Erwin and Mike regained their composure: holding their nerve as the titan leaned down to sniff them over, all the while Nanaba was scared stiff, especially by the sight of those giant tusks. "Stay calm" Mike assured her, "It's another painted titan", "Seriously? I-I thought it was just the one," she swallowed hard, "Evidently not" Erwin frowned as the titan sniffed him up and down. "So: Shadow, Midnight; and judging from those tusks, I'm assuming you're the one called Boar" the commander gazed up at the titan, who replied with a deep grunt and a nod, giving a toothy smile which revealed a row of sharp teeth. "Which means the bird-titan must've been Angel!" Hange realized as she face-palmed, "-Oh of course, how the hell did I overlook that? Well never mind, now, let me get a look at those lovely ivories of yours!" she grinned manically as she nudged closer to the edge of the roof, trying to get nearer to the tusked giant, "-Like hell are you going to try and grab one of those things" Levi grabbed the scientist by the scruff of her collar, "You don't even know where they've been!"
The titan frowned down at the shorter man, and snorted a nose full of hot air right in his face, making him shudder: "...Ugh! Disgusting!" he cursed under his breath, trying to conceal his revulsion: while Hange tried to muffle her giggles, and the titan chuckled in a deep gruff tone that resonated deep in everyone's chests.
"I take it you understand us too?" the commander addressed the titan: the creature smiled at him, and nodded, "Why are you here?" he pressed. The titan pointed up into the forest, in the direction of the steam plumes.: "You're hunting titans?" Hange grinned, to which the titan grunted and nodded; he then got back down on all fours, and crouching low, carefully weaved his way between the houses, being careful to keep his head below the rooftops. "What's he doing?" Eld frowned in a whisper, hoping the titan hadn't overheard him, "I don't know, but I got a bad feeling about this" Levi frowned as he readied his blades: "Shouldn't we do something sir?" Nanaba asked in worry.
Suddenly, the titan stopped and tilted his head to one side, his ear twitching back and forth as he listened to something far in the distance: quickly and quietly, he turned to face the scouts, lowering himself down on his legs and planting his claws securely in the ground, as if getting ready to jump again; this time, right up at them. "-Shit!" Levi cursed as he shot his lines, and just as before, his squad followed suit as they prepared to attack first, with the whole camp watching nervously: but in that same instance, a noise in the forest behind them grabbed their attention, and Erwin only had time to glance over his shoulder as a massive fourteen meter titan brought its hand down to clumsily grab him.
A loud bellowing roar thundered over their heads, as Boar leapt up over the roof again, and attacked the titan square in the face, knocking it backwards and landing it on its ass with a booming thud that shook the surrounding trees and houses. The scouts watched as the tusked titan leapt up and off the giant's head, and quickly galloped off until it was over thirty meters away, before turning on a pivot and charging the titan head-on from its side. As the fourteen meter monster sat back up, Boar leapt up sideways, violently slashing the titan's nape with his tusks. Blood arced up and poured out of the wound as the monster keeled over dead, while the blood on Boar's tusks evaporated away as he turned to sniff over his kill, as if to confirm it was dead.
"Ohohoh that was incredible!" Hange bounced up and down on her heels like an overexcited child, "Did you see that?! Did you see how those tusks cut right through its nape?! What an adaptation!" she squeaked. "Holy-, I didn't even hear that titan sneak up behind us!" Gunther realized, "None of us did" Erwin sighed in relief, "But he did..." he gazed over at Boar.
At the same time, some forty meters away:
"That's cutting it a bit close," Elysia sighed with relief as she invisibly watched Herne and the scouts from up in the canopy, with Javorin and Hecate below her, "Dropping the concealment spell at the last second"
"Herne already heard the titan coming" Hecate replied coolly, "Relax brat, he's got this"
"So, any thoughts?" Javorin asked offhand as he carefully studied each of the scouts and their auras: "Haughty-shorty's gonna keep us on our toes, that's for sure!" Elysia glared daggers at the short man, "We already knew that" Hecate smirked, "But it would seem I dampened his winning streak a little: the great captain Levi being bested by a titan? His buddies probably won't let him hear the end of it".
"With that austere aura of his? I doubt they'll even dare to talk behind his back" Javorin smiled as he watched Boar take down another titan, with his captivated audience looking on, "Still though..." he thought aloud, "His proficiency is no less than what I expected of him: even going up against you he had the right idea of how to assure a quick defeat, (if you were a regular titan that is)" he glanced over at Hecate, "He's fast, but I can be pretty fast when I need to be too" she smirked cunningly, "Seriously? He took me completely by surprise! I didn't even see him go for my wing like that!" Elysia exclaimed in annoyance, "I'm just lucky my feathers grew back fast". "That's what you get for relying on your eyes alone: I warned you brat, don't take your minds eyes off his aura, even for a second" Hecate stated as she folded her arms, watching as Herne continued to prowl around the treeline, while the scouts continued to watch. The commander and his section leaders whispering among themselves: trying to figure out what to do.
"... And the rest of them?" Javorin asked offhand, "Definitely strong as a team," Elysia knitted her brows together, as she watched the scouts studiously, "They know how to stick together, even in the heat of the moment. So how'd you think they'd handle being separated? That's not a bad idea, right?". "The problem is how to split them up and not make it look obvious: Erwin will realize something's up if the brats make another appearance; we'd have to make it look like an accident" Hecate pointed out.
"Or? ..." Elysia smiled cunningly as an idea came to mind, "Maybe a blunder?", "A blunder?" Javorin glanced up at her with a raised eyebrow, "Well? I am a Tempus goddess after all, throwing up 'the fog' along with a labyrinth spell wouldn't be a problem". "The fog? ..." Javorin suddenly realized what she was getting at. "Well, it certainly would throw them for a loop: plus it would be a good opportunity to get to know each of them one-on-one" Elysia pointed out, "Maybe, but we don't want to scare them either" Javorin replied, "Plus, we can't allow them to see our more advanced magics just yet, not until we know they're ready to handle it". "There's taking baby steps, and then there's learning to fly by jumping off a cliff: remember when we first allowed our little family to see our more advanced magics? Sure it was mind-blowing but it didn't scare them; maybe lightning will strike twice?" Elysia suggested, "Why not? The scouts are going catch sight of the fog sooner or later: the Garrison have already seen it. Plus, it'll dissuade Erwin if he gets any bright ideas about trying to trail it sometime in the future. We can't have them trying to get the drop on us, remember?"
Thinking about it for a moment, Javorin finally agreed, "Alright, but let them establish their latest supply depot first: we can always catch them on the way back to Trost. I'll talk to Tyto about it later"
"Don't want to leave it until next month?" Hecate glanced sideways at him with a cheeky glint in her eyes, "Why wait? No time like the present: and besides, our 'wings of freedom' have finally got the hint; any titan covered in tattoos isn't going to be making a meal out them" Javorin smiled as he continued to watch the scene at the edge of the village...
Meanwhile:
"I think it couldn't hurt to try!" Oruo insisted in a hushed voice, "The titan-hunters have got to be somewhere just over that ridge-line, practically within a stone's throw of the camp! We can get a location on them easily!"
"But that's three titans that have come close to the camp, clearly whatever they're doing to lure them in, it doesn't involve that strange humming device we saw Magpie use last time, or the wind chimes for that matter," Hange pointed out, before suddenly realizing, "But then-, why not just use them in the first place? Why let some of the titans slip away and wander close to us?" Realizing what she getting at, Erwin glanced over at Boar sceptically, "...Unless that was the intention..." he frowned.
Hearing the commander's hushed words, Herne realized the jig was up, and it was time to make a discreet exit, "Dammit," he thought aloud. "What's up?" he heard Hecate's voice echo across the ether, from somewhere in the forest, "I've been rumbled: I need to get out without making it look obvious", "Fine, just don't take too long" she sighed dryly, "I'll try..." he smirked.
"-OI!" Levi barked over at the tusked titan, "We know what you're up to, shit-face. Take your act elsewhere!", "Yeah! You ain't fooling anyone!" Oruo chipped in,
Boar gazed over at the scouts with a mock look of confusion, "...When you return to your 'family' tell them we want to talk face to face: no more posturing," Erwin stated in his usual commanding tone, "If there's something they want to know, they only need ask; we're not unreasonable"
Boar stared at the commander with an unreadable expression, "... You guys get all that?", "Yep" Javorin replied, "I don't think we can bluff our way past him on this. What'd you reckon?" Herne asked. "Better not risk it" Javorin thought aloud, "Just say yes and pull out of there, we're done here anyway. Return to the rendezvous point and we'll head back to camp: we'll need to discuss this with everyone"
"Okay..." Herne replied, "I just hope we haven't screwed this up".
The titan gazed at Erwin with an understanding look in his golden eyes, and gave a discreet nod, before bounding away up into the forest.
"Well? I guess all we can do now is wait," Hange shrugged, "Do we stay put another day?" Mike asked. "No" Erwin stated, "We proceed on schedule: they'll find us again in their own time"; "And if they come back before we return to Trost?" Levi asked sceptically, "Then we'll deal with it: for now, concentrate on the supply depot" Erwin glanced at him, before shooting his lines and taking off for the camp's temporary HQ, "The rest of you, as you were!" he ordered, and the rest of the camp dispersed. "Return to your post Nanaba, I'll talk to you later" Mike added before following after Erwin. "I better go and get started on my journal! At this rate we've practically got a whole book on new titan discoveries!" Hange beamed, before turning slightly melancholy, "... I just wish I could've gotten some decent samples from our new friends, even a feather would've been enough" she thought aloud before taking off to look for Moblit.
"You guys get back to work, we've still got a lot to do before we move out tomorrow" Levi ordered, "Sir!-" Eld, Gunther and Oruo saluted, before flying off to resume their previously appointed tasks, except for Petra, who approached the captain apprehensively: "I-...I just wanted to apologize, for speaking out of turn earlier: when we were-
"-It's nothing," Levi replied stoically, before lighten up a little, "As unconventional as it was, you got us out of that situation without a scratch; not bad. But honestly, a titan with a thing for manners? What's next?"
"It is weird for sure sir," the redhead agreed, "But then, this whole thing is completely weird: and I fear we don't know what direction it's going to go in next"
"You're right..." Levi admitted, "They're obviously pulling our strings, trying to see what we'd do: and now that we've sussed them out, whatever comes next is anyone's guess" he thought aloud as he watched the forest, seeing a few more steam plumes appear above the trees, "Come on, we better get back to work: no doubt Hange will be begging for our eye-witness accounts of what happened here today" the captain added dryly as he unlocked his blades from his handgrips and stashed them away in their scabbards, before firing his lines and taking off.
As Petra followed after him, she wondered about the four encounters: and just what it was the titans were actually doing. Were they really pulling their strings as Levi believed? Was this all a test? A close-quarter observation of some kind? What was there to achieve from all this? Whatever the reason, it left everyone bar Erwin puzzled and on edge.
Later that evening, deep in the forest:
"So, no more posturing eh?" Pascal deadpanned as he threw another log on the fire, "Well he saw through that plan in virtually no time at all: seriously though, is he really that smart? Or just that over-confident?"
"It's not over-confidence" Bryson sighed, "From the way those 'encounters' went down, he was able to deduce the 'painted' titans are no immediate threat, nor are they aggressive when confronted by force (thank Sina). But he's not interested in being toyed with, now he wants to talk to us face to face" the former scout glanced up at Shadow, who regarded him with an understating gaze as he nodded in agreement.
"He's gotta be thinking we sent you guys out there to 'test' them," Dale thought aloud as he sat on Midnight's shoulder, stroking the side of her jaw, "Meaning, he thinks we're a bunch of cowards" Rowan frowned as he took a bite of his jerky.
"Not necessarily" Hazel pointed out, "He must've figured we'd be watching from a distance: which is pretty much a no-brainer by now"
"And it doesn't look like your 'divide and assess' idea is going to do much else besides unnerve them some more at this point" Hecate glanced over at Elysia, "It seemed like a good idea at the time" she sighed in disappointment, ruffling her feathers a little.
"So," Tyto addressed the whole group, "What's our next course of action to be? Erwin wants to talk, and it's clear our original plan is no longer going to work: not as long as he's able to read the situation and deduce what's what. So do we meet with him? Or do we try something else? Personally, I think meeting face to face would be the sensible option; straighten out any misconceptions he might have of us, and our giant friends" he glanced up at the four god-titans.
"If he thinks we number about two dozen at the least, it wouldn't be out of the question for them to try setting a trap for us: seeing as they number well over a hundred" Fox thought aloud: "And what good would setting a trap do besides getting us pissed off? Erwin's got no reason to go after us," Clay rebutted, "As far as he knows, we're curious about the scouts and have been watching them for the past few years: that's all; we've not done anything to suggest we're aggressive, or unhappy with them in any way"
"Yeah, and if he thinks we can be possible allies: then that's what we've got to try and work on establishing" Ash threw in, "That's what we're ultimately trying to achieve here, isn't it?"
"Indeed it is," Tyto nodded: "But we have to be careful too" Pascal warned, "If we try too hard, or seem too eager: they're going to think somethings up"
"And at the same time, we can't risk them stumbling across the Hunt, even by accident; remember last month?" Carla chimed in, "If Erwin sees the tree, deer and bird titans, especially Stormwing, or any of the other god-titan's for that matter. It wouldn't be unreasonable for him to think we have an army: one that wouldn't have much difficulty in challenging them", "And no doubt Levi would certainly assume that, (if that were the case)" Ashlyn agreed.
"My concern is Hange," Gale spoke up, "Considering how crazy she is, I'm kinda worried how far she'll go to try and get closer to you guys" she gazed up at Shadow, "And what she might do to try and get some 'samples'": "That's a good point" Falken nodded.
"So what do we do? Essentially we're still at square one: we can't let the scouts see the rest of us, for fear they might get the wrong idea, and at the same time we haven't yet discovered if they're all totally beyond the wall cult's influence. Look, today, we've established Erwin and his section commanders are legit, that much we know for a fact: but the rest? We just can't take the risk one of them might be a spy for the cult" Rowan pointed out. "And it's no use having you trying to talk to them at this point," Ariana glanced over at Bryson, "Because A, the scouts think you died in Shiganshina, and B, there's no telling what assumptions they might make of you. Brainwashing, given no choice, disenchanted with the scouts: take your pick. Plus, you're our one and only advantage over the scouts Bryson, if it wasn't for your brains and experience we'd never be able to handle them the way we have".
"Thanks Ariana..." he smiled offhand, before changing the subject, "These are all valid points, but ultimately all moot. The problem here is us: all of us. We're afraid to risk taking a chance: that's how we got sussed out today"
The whole group stared at Bryson in confusion: "What'd you mean we're afraid? We're already taking a big risk as it is" Carla frowned sceptically. "What'd you mean, exactly?" Ariana frowned, wondering where he was going with this.
"Think back to Midnight's encounter with the scouts, and think about what Erwin did..." Bryson clarified, "He knew his scouts would be at risk, and he knew one of them would be in further danger if they were the one to keep Midnight's attention on them. He could've turned back and ordered the others to intercept her in order to save them, but then, he'd risk getting them in trouble too... The point is, Erwin knew it was either going to be himself, one of them: or everyone else back at camp. True he didn't know how it was going to pan out, but that didn't change the fact there was still a clear and present danger, (as far as he was led to believe): and when Midnight's encounter came to an end, he was able to see through that, because he took the risk of hanging back and watching what was going on" the former scout got up to fetch his water bladder, "...My point is, we know they know they're risking their lives, they knew that the day they signed up to become part of the Corps: and they know we know they're not stupid. If we meet with them face to face and explain that we can't join them, for reasons that are too complicated at this present time, then we risk being thought of as a potential threat to humanity: but in doing so, we'll be keeping them and our own safe"
"Safe? How?" West raised an eyebrow, "Well for one, they'll still be focused on us: they haven't found anything that suggests anyone else besides us is out here, so that allows us to keep them (and any potential cult spies) looking in our direction, thus keeping the Hunt safe: and secondly, if we continue to stay close, it'll allow the god-titan's time and opportunity to suss out any potential spies, which is what we're here to do anyway," Bryson explained, "Also, if we continue to challenge Erwin with more 'posturing', it might give him something to think about, in the event he might try to come after us..." the former scout hesitated a moment, knowing everyone was not comfortable with this: "...I know this isn't a popular idea: yes it would mean the risk of being caught out will be higher, and yes we'd be taking a huge gamble with this particular line of observation: but given what we've learnt of Erwin and his friends today, we're going to have to step up our game if we're to stay ahead of him"
Everyone glanced at one another in unsurety for a moment, before Carla spoke up, "... It would be a bigger gamble: but if it means we can make progress in trying to establish an alliance, then I think it's worth the risk". " I agree," Pascal nodded "We all knew this wasn't going to easy: and now that Erwin's figured us out (in some part at least), we might as well not insult his intelligence". "I'm not comfortable with this: but you have a point: so yeah, I'm in" Evrard nodded.
"So are we all in agreement?" Tyto asked everyone, "I guess we are" Rowan shrugged: though he wasn't okay with this either, he didn't contend the issue. "I'm in too: but if we want to establish the fact we're no threat to humanity, we're going to have to offer some kind of reason as to why we cannot enter Wall Rose; even if we don't mention the wall cult by name, Erwin's going to need some kind of explanation. We owe him that at least" Hawk threw in, "And what if he doesn't believe us?" Fox frowned dubiously, "Then that's the risk we'll have to take: but at least we'll be honest with him. And let's face it, the man can smell bullshit a mile off"
"That's certainly true" Tyto sighed as he stroked his beard: "But explaining why we can't enter the interior yet won't be enough," Dale pointed out, "It's what's hiding out here, deep in the forests that just as much at stake: the stone circles, the god-titans tombs, the Hidden Land and the city of lost memories? The former secret Celt and Ranger encampments? We have a responsibility to ensure they're kept safe too you know"
"Not to mention our own reasons for hunting the titans and everything involved with it, isn't exactly cut and dry" Clay added, before Lucius threw in "Look, there's a lot to go over with the scouts if we talk to them about this: yes we're going to have to lie about a few details if we do; but, I don't think playing hide and seek is wholly the best idea. I believe Bryson is right, we're going to need to be more daring on this, and I think part of that will be having to talk to them face to face. If they don't believe us then they don't believe us; but Hawk's right, Erwin can smell bullshit, he's too clever not to. So being upfront with him would be the only option" the boy explained.
"Question is though, which of you brats will be the one to talk to him?" Pascal asked the kids.
As the whole camp sat quietly in contemplation for a moment, Ariana glanced up at Shadow, and nostalgically remembered back to that first year she spent watching the scouts with him: her mind then went back further, as she remembered the ODM gear lessons she and her family used to have with Bryson; long before the fall of Maria. Back when times were easier, and they used to have fun together. '...Why am I remembering this?' she thought offhand, '...It was more simple back then: we didn't have be so serious, and we didn't need to be-
It was then Ariana had an epiphany, a simple yet brilliant idea quickly began to take form, as she saw the heart of the conundrum, and realized what needed to be done: "...Maybe we're trying to hard," she blurted out. "Huh?" Rowan did a double take, "Lucius, you said you don't believe playing hide and seek with the scouts isn't going to work: but what if that's exactly what we need to do with them?" she gazed over at the pale blonde, "I don't follow" he raised an eyebrow, to which Ariana explained, "We started this thinking we needed to meet the scouts level of proficiency and professionalism, that we have to dance to their tune in order to send the right message. But what if that's the problem here? What if making a game of this is exactly the right thing to do: keep things light and fun rather than try to come off as intimidating? The scouts know we can handle them, they've already got the message: so instead of showing them how we can fight, why not show them how we can be friends?"
"Okay, you're really pushing it Ariana," Fox frowned in disagreement, "The scouts would never take us seriously if we just fooled around playing games with them all the time: they've already sussed out what we were up to today, so what would be the point?"
"The point is we'd be proving we're not to be feared" Ariana shot back, "And in case you forgot Fox? They're no different to us: take away the uniforms, the ODM gear, the bows, arrows and masks, we're all the same: we're just people. We feel happiness, joy, sadness, anger and fear: and that's what we need to get across". Fox was taken aback, and everyone was silent as Ariana elaborated further, "...Look, I don't know if this will work or not: but I do know, trying to prove we're better than them isn't the right way to do this. Yeah we're good hunters, but we're not soldiers, and we can't pretend that we are, just to try and prove to Erwin that we're capable of meeting his level of thinking" she stated vehemently, "We've always done things our way, the only way we know how because that's who we are; I mean come on! How many people would be willing to keep a magically powerful titan secret for years on end, never mind four: and with the help of a former scout and two former crooks no less! And who would be crazy enough to take on the titans with no prior military experience? (present company excluded). My point is, we've done some pretty crazy shit together over the years, and the only reason we have, is because we already know how to be daring, we already know how to take risks; so why are we hesitating now?"
Everyone stared at Ariana in amazement, as she continued: "Erwin and his friends are no different when you think about it: yeah Levi and Oruo are stubborn as shit, but so are Rowan and Fox, and that's nothing new to us. Erwin could easily give Bryson a run for his money in a game of chess, and Shadow could charm the pants off of Hange any day of the week; the Levi squad too if given half a chance. They're brave, dedicated, bold, not afraid to think outside the box, and half-crazy too: you need to be to do this job. Don't you see? We don't need to be more, we just need to be us!"
Everyone glanced at one another in mix of astonishment and bewilderment, before a smile crossed Belle's face, "You know... Back before Shiganshina fell, most people didn't even know what a titan looked like, never mind the fact they could eat you". "Or that they weren't supposed to exist inside the walls" Poppy added with a cautious smile. "... There were secrets we knew about the world" Tyto sighed "Secrets our ancestors were killed for... For so long I didn't even know if any of them were real or not: but to find out that not only were we right, but that we played a part in trying to save the future of mankind? There are no words that can describe that: and we never would have found out, if we didn't take a chance on our friends" he smiled up at Shadow. Suddenly, Bryson started to laugh, as he pulled his bandanna off his head, "...You know? When I left the scouts I honestly thought that was the end for me: and when I came up with the missing memory theory, the world suddenly seemed a lot bigger, and more mysterious than it appeared... If someone had told me back then, what would happen if I moved to Shiganshina, and all the craziness that ensued after that fateful day, after the storm: I'd have laughed 'till I burst," he glanced up at Ariana with heartfelt smile, "...You're right Ariana: we've always done things our way, and we knew we could because we knew how to think outside the box... Just like Erwin"
As she listened, Carla felt a small smile tug at the corner of her mouth: not three years ago she was a housewife, dutiful and attentive to her family, and not wishing for any more than the average weight of the world upon her shoulders. Except for the fact she secretly hid Angel from the rest of the world, along with her kin: it was risky at times but she did it anyway. Now she was a titan hunter, and a damn good one: she struggled and suffered for it, but no one else was more determined, more fierce and relentless in their quest to exterminate the titans than her, and all the while her best friend Angel was at her side; her sweet and trusted companion who always carried her into battle. 'Who am I to say any differently?' she thought in amusement, 'Maybe this will work?'. "...Yeah" She chucked, "-You gotta be crazy to do what we do: and it's something we seem to excel at"
"You know? Of all things to come of retirement, becoming a titan hunter wasn't one of them" Pascal smiled offhand, "...So how come I don't regret this?", "Maybe because you know how to have some fun along the way," Shyla smiled, "Well? We didn't stop to question it to begin with: so why stop going with the flow now?" West smiled.
"Yeah, Ariana's right" Ash smiled, "We didn't start this to prove we can be soldiers, we did this because we want to help mankind achieve freedom, not just from the titans but from the wall cult too: we didn't let our fear stop us from doing this before, and we won't let it hinder us now. I say we prove we can be friends, rather than strangers who's objectives align with the scouts"
"You know? Now that I think about it, that doesn't sound like such a bad idea sis" Dale smiled, "There is merit in it," the Cooper twins agreed, "And I have to admit, thinking outside the box is the only thing we know how to do" Lucius nodded, "Though, you'll forgive me if I maintain a 'healthy scepticism' about this particular plan, until we see it bare some fruit?"
"I don't mind" Ariana shrugged, "It's a huge gamble for sure: but I think its the right thing to do; don't try to be soldiers just to keep up with soldiers, let's just be us, and see what happens"
The rest of the camp voiced their agreement, to which Tyto decided to step in, "... Okay, so how're we going to set this up?"
"Well for one," Clay smirked, "We could have a little fun with this, and make some wagers"
As the humans continued to talk, Javorin glanced over at Elysia: "...Looks like your idea might not be off the table after all," he smiled, before glanced down at the campfire, "But still though, we're going to have to be extra careful about how we do this"
"Unless the scouts know how to counter concealment magics, I doubt there's very little they can do to catch us out" Hecate shrugged.
"It's not our ability to hide that has me worried..." Javorin thought aloud, as he 'listened' to the distant ripples of the scouts life-energies through the roots of the trees: feeling the peacefulness of sleep as they rested in their hammocks, dead to the world; except for one...
He could feel Erwin's eyes gazing deep into the forest: he knew they were out there, watching them, listening to them: as the man lay in his hammock, he could practically hear the cogs turning in his head; trying to figure out what their next move might be. Today was a test of restraint and assessment, now, the man wanted to know what he and his scouts were being tested for.
For the first time in many lifetimes, Javorin felt a very human chill creep up his spine: were he not a god, Erwin would've had him on tender hooks; but as things stood, he made a mental note not to get careless with him, not even for a second. After two years of observing him, he knew this human was the one to watch: spy or no spy, he was a man of shrewd perception and careful deduction, along with a line of logic that was easily on par with Bryson's; and today's little 'encounters' confirmed that.
At the back of his mind: the blue-eyed god couldn't help but think: '...I wonder what will happen, when those two finally meet?'
Two days later:
After yet another successful mission, the scouts were finally on their way home, by way of the river yet again: as they crossed the bridge at Neness, the scouts saw no steam plumes this time, and no titans for that matter. Thus far, they hadn't seen a single titan since leaving their latest supply depot, and none of the monsters were anywhere to be seen whilst retracing their steps along the river and through the forest.
"Huh, I guess they decided to clear off home- GHA!" Oruo thought aloud as he accidentally bit his tongue, "Maybe they're hunting in another area of the forest today?" Petra glanced over at Eld, "Who knows? But if they ain't here now, then we're not going to see them again, until next month probably..." the blond man shrugged offhand, "Unless they're watching us right this minute" Gunther hesitantly suggested as he gazed up at the giant trees.
After the strange encounters a few days ago, the entire expedition were on their toes: as if having to worry about the regular titans was exhausting enough, now they had to keep an eye out for four whole new titans; and passing through the location they last saw them at, didn't help the nerves of the more fresh-faced rookies. "Well? I can wait a month" Hange thought aloud with a smile, "I have a feeling we're going to be playing the long game with our new painted friends, and I'm just going to have to be patient if I want to get some samples", "Oh please..." Levi deadpanned, "What makes you think they're going to come back any time soon? We figured out their little game, it'd be stupid to come back and pull the same trick twice", "Oh I don't know Levi," Hange purposely teased him, "That Midnight might try going a second round with you: she certainly seemed to enjoy your company".
The very mention of Midnight's name made the captain's face contort into a bitter frown: "If that oversized bitch ever shows her face again, I'll carve it off before she has a chance to get the drop on me again" he coldly stated. "Well just be sure to let me know okay? A nice long lock of her hair would be a perfect specimen!" the scientist grinned.
As the scouts continued to gallop through the forest, Erwin kept his head on a swivel, gazing up through the canopy as well as through the understory: at the back of his mind he was hoping the painted titans and their human friends would show up again; but given the events that transpired a few days ago, there was no guarantee they would show up at all now. It was clear they were deliberately approaching the scouts, no doubt to provoke a reaction and gage what they would do: it was a good plan, a risky yet prudent way to test the waters; but by confronting Boar the way he did, had he unintentionally spooked them off, and now they might keep their distance for good? It wouldn't make sense: and something in his gut was telling him that this wasn't the end of the matter. As much as he would have liked to have stayed in Maria and investigated a little further, he had to make sure his troops got home safely: whatever the titan-hunter's next decision might be, it would have to wait until next month.
As they left the forest and galloped out onto the plains, the horizon opened up and the trees gave way to vast open space: but just as Erwin was about to order everyone to assume the long range formation, something up ahead made him pause...
The clear blue sky was not so clear, as a giant swirling mass of pure white fog and cloud towered several miles up into the sky, concealing a small area of the wide open grasslands: it was the most bizarre thing any of the scouts had ever seen, the strange weather couldn't be more than three or so miles up ahead, and as they crested a row of knolls, they saw up to fifty or so titans lumbering towards, and into the fog; seemingly in a daze. Slightly to the left of the strange phenomenon, everyone could see the lifeless bodies of numerous titans littering the ground: many were still very fresh, as if they'd been killed only minutes ago; one after another the monsters entered the white haze, and vanished from sight.
"What-, the hell is that?" Petra stared wide-eyed up at the vast tower of fog, "That's no fog I've ever seen before" Mike frowned in dubiousness, "OH MY GOD!" Hange exclaimed, "-It's the titan-killing fog! The rumours are true! And look! It's leaving a trail of dead titans in its wake!" she pointed to the dead titans, "How the hell's it killing them like that?!" Oruo panicked a little, "It's not the fog..." Erwin suddenly realized, "It's who's hiding inside it"
"OH MY GOD! WHAT AN INGENIOUS WAY TO HIDE AND KILL TITANS AT THE SAME TIME!" Hange cackled hysterically, "Erwin! I'm going on ahead to try and find them!" the scientist tapped her horses flanks with her heels, and soon she overtook the Levi squad, leaving everyone to eat her dust. "-Hange! Get back here!" Erwin barked, but to no avail, as the scientist left the front of the column and headed straight for the fog, leaving her assistant Moblit trying to catch up to her. But without success, as she vanished from sight amid the thick white cloud, "That idiot!-" Levi grumbled, "Come on!" he ordered his squad. "Uh, commander? Is it just me or is that fog coming towards us?" Petra began to panic a little.
Sure enough, the fog was slowly moving towards them: casting a shadow that stretched all the way across the plain as the top of the cloud blotted out the sun. At approximately over a mile in diameter, the circling mass of fog was too wide to go around, and as they came within half a mile of where it touched the earth, Erwin realized there was no other way to avoid it. "-HAAALT!" he shouted as loud as he can, much to everyone's alarm and confusion. As the horses and wagons came to a stop, the whole column fell silent as a strange noise began to ring on the wind.
It was the strange humming sound: deeper, and this time it was more than one, all coming from somewhere within the fog. As more and more titans continued to emerge from the forest and the surrounding landscape, the immediate sense of panic quickly subsided when the whole column realized they were paying them no attention; the titans just continued to walk on by, all seemingly oblivious to the scout's presence.
"Levi! Take your squad and go and retrieve Hange!" he ordered: Levi and said squad wasted no time as they took off in the direction Hange went, disappearing into the fog; Erwin then turned to address the rest of the contingent, "THE REST OF YOU REMAIN WHERE YOU ARE! WE WON'T BE ABLE TO SEE ANYTHING IN THAT FOG, THE SAFEST THING WOULD BE TO STAY PUT, AVOID ANY TITANS THAT COME TOO CLOSE, AND WAIT UNTIL THE FOG HAS PASSED!"
"B-b-but sir!" one nervous rookie raised his hand, "W-what if, whatever's killing those titans, m-might be a threat to us too?!"
"Call it a hunch, but I don't think it's after us..." Erwin coolly replied, "We're simply in the way": his answer did little to comfort the rookie, but what could he do? What could anyone do at this point? "Seriously though..." Mike discreetly grabbed his attention, "If it is the titan-hunter's inside that thing, what do we do?", "We'll find out soon enough..." Erwin replied as he gazed up at the fog: unafraid, and willing to face whatever was about to happen.
Within minutes, the fog gently blew over them, and within seconds the world faded into an eerie dark grey as everything disappeared from sight: the fog was so dense Erwin couldn't even see his horse's head, never mind his outstretched hand. The humming was all around them now, and as the scouts nervous whispers faded away into the strange droning, he glanced all around, trying to remember where Mike was, while also trying to spot any sign of movement.
Overhead, the sound of giant beating wings could be heard some forty meters up: fifteen or so meters away, giant footfalls echoed and vibrated all around, and the sound of ODM gear and pairing blades could heard slicing flesh, followed by the booming thud of a titan falling down dead; but no voices. Every now and then a little sunlight would pierce the greyness, and light up the fog in brilliant white: as it continued to swirl all around, Erwin could make out the silhouettes of titans moving about; the lower half of a set of legs, part of an arm, part of a torso or a head. But he couldn't see the painted titans anywhere, and no other humans either; no doubt they were here somewhere: but did they know the scouts where here too? Did they somehow catch sight of them as the fog passed over? They must have at least heard him shouting to his troops, but then why didn't they shout back to warn them of their approach? This question kept Erwin on alert, and made him wonder if something was up. There was no way to know for sure.
After a minute or so of silent anxious waiting, the gentle wind suddenly began to die down, until the air was as still as stagnant water: but the fog hadn't passed or lifted, it remained dark grey all around; exuding an almost spooky presence. It was then Erwin suddenly realized the humming had faded away, and only silence filled the damp air. "...Mike? ..." Erwin called out, but there was no reply: not even any nickering or snorts from any of the horses, "Mike!" he called again, but no one answered.
Then, Erwin saw the ground begin to reappear, and realized the fog was at last thinning out: before long he could see up to six to eight meters ahead; it wasn't much, but it was something. But as he turned around to locate Mike, the commander was stunned to see he was all alone: Mike, along with the rest of the column, were gone. This made utterly no sense, he didn't hear the section commander or any of the other scouts take off, nor did his own horse move at anytime; they were just... gone.
Turning his horse around in every direction, Erwin saw and heard nothing, there was only the grassy earth and endless grey all around, with a little sun lighting up the fog high overhead.
"...What the hell just happened?..." he cursed under his breath.
"HANGE!" Levi shouted, "Come on shitty-glasses, talk to me!". But no reply came as the fog remained in place, and silence hung in the air. This was getting worse by the minute, first Hange disappeared, and now his whole squad was MIA: "PETRA! ELD! GUNTHER! ORUO! CAN ANYONE HEAR ME?!" he shouted; but no one answered back.
The captain had ridden so far ahead, that it was now impossible to tell where the rest of the contingent was: even if they were remaining stationary, there was no way to tell which direction was which. And the fact that all the titans, along with the strange humming had somehow seemed to have disappeared, was also concerning.
Being lost in this fog was bad: being out in the open and separated from his squad was worse, and if he didn't find some sort of cover soon, Levi knew he'd be in even worse trouble. But he only had about six or eight meters of visibility at best, and with no signs of any roads or buildings nearby, his options were very limited.
"Wherever you guys are: you better stay safe" Levi sighed under his breath as he readied his blades, and listened out for any signs of movement.
"HEEEY! Can anyone hear me?!" Hange shouted out as she rode around aimlessly, "If any of you titan-hunters are out there, would you be so kind as to point me in the direction of my squad? I seem to have gotten a little lost!"
As she continued to let her horse walk on, the scientist scanned the fog for any sign of movement: "HEY LEVI! YOU OUT THERE? PETRA! ORUO! ELD! GUNTHER! ARE ANY OF YOU GUYS NEARBY?!"
No reply came, and as the scientist scanned the fog for the umpteenth time, she contemplated her situation: "Hmmm, Levi's more than capable of handling a little fog, the rest of the squad too: and no doubt Mike and Erwin are taking it in the their stride...I'm sure everyone's fine!" she assured herself, before her eager mind turned back to the subject at hand, "...But fog like this has never been seen before, and on a clear day to boot! This is no natural weather we're dealing with here..." she smiled as her mind bubbled with ideas, "But what's causing it? A titan that can create fog maybe? Well technically they can breath steam, but what if one went an evolutionary step further, and not only created steam in abundance, but somehow, came up with a means of controlling it too? Oh that would be something!" she clasped her hands together in delight, "Now, where are those painted beauties ...HEY SHADOW! MIDNIGHT! ANGEL! BOAR! IT'S OKAY, YOU DON'T NEED TO HIDE FROM ME! LEVI'S NOT HERE SO IT'S SAFE TO COME OUT!"
"This doesn't make any sense," Mike cursed as he sniffed the air, trying pick up the scent of his friends: but with no moving air currents, the only smell present was that of his horse. "...Erwin was standing right next to me, and he didn't give the order to move...So what happened?" he thought aloud, trying to rationalize what just transpired.
The titans were gone, the humming had stopped, and everyone seemed to have been swallowed up by the fog: it was a bad situation to be in, and with no idea of where he was, Mike didn't know where to go, or how to back-track his way to the rest of the contingent.
With his blades at the ready and his nose breathing the air deep, he searched for something, anything that could offer him a way out of this conundrum...
Meanwhile, close by:
As the fog continued to spiral high up into the sky, Javorin kept his minds eye on each of the scouts auras: though their physical forms were obscured by the fog, their life-energies shone bright as candle flames, each a flickering light in the ghostly gloom: pinpointing their exact locations.
"Well, I'd say everyone's well and truly lost now" he nodded, "Good that means we're ready to begin!" Elysia smiled as she flew out of the fog, and swooped down to land with the rest of the group, "The spell I wove into the clouds should keep it in place while we have a lil' 'chat' with our new friends, we have all the time in the world: just let me know when everyone's done and I'll release it" she assured him, "Are your lil' friends ready?", "They know what to do, don't worry," Javorin smiled as he watched a few spirits dance around a nearby cluster of flowers, waiting to receive their prince's word on what to do next.
"It's like pea soup in there, we couldn't see anything" Lucy told the others, as she and her brother leaned over the side of Angel's neck, while Carla dismounted and rejoined the other grown-ups. "But Angel says the main column's okay, they're just skirting on the edge of the fog: they'll be out long before our friends even get their bearings, and the repelling charm's in place. As long as they stay put, they'll be fine"
"Okay" Tyto addressed the rest of the kids, "You all know what to do: so keep your seeing stones at the ready, and let's get to it. Good luck..."
And with that, the humans paired off with their respective titan-gods, and made their way into the fog, vanishing from sight as the spiralling tower of cloud swallowed them up.
The spirits waited, as they sensed their kin inside the fog, watching and listening to their prince's human friends...
Petra was now really beginning to panic as she stopped her horse, and glanced around yet again: the fog showed no sign of lifting, and it was no use calling out anymore, as she hadn't heard or seen anyone else. "...This doesn't make any sense, the fog looked to be about a mile wide: surely I should have reached the edge of it by now?" she thought aloud, but as the dull grey haze kept her visual range limited to about six to eight meters, it was clear she was still somewhere in the middle.
Gazing down at the signal flares in her saddle pack, she hesitated, "...I could use a flare to signal my position, but if there are any titans nearby, they'll see it too" she sighed in futility; thinking of the captain and her squad mates, and if they were lost too, "...I really hope you guys are doing better than I am: I don't even know which way to go" she glanced all around again, nervously keeping an eye and ear out for any sign of movement.
"Petra?"
"-AH!" Petra nearly jumped out of her saddle in fright: quickly turning her horse around, she was astounded to see Mountain Bluebird, Yellow Warbler and Flame-coloured Tanager all standing together, "Wha-, where the hell did you guys come from?!" she exclaimed in disbelief. There was no one behind her not two seconds ago; 'How did they sneak up like that?' she thought. "It's okay, we're here to help," Warbler assured her, "We were busy seeing to the titans when we heard someone shouting" Tanager added, "We listened again, and realized it was you" Warbler explained, "So we left our post to come take a look, and here you are!" Bluebird smiled beneath her neckerchief. "How the hell did you end up here? Were you guys heading back to Trost?" Warbler asked concernedly.
"Uh-, yeah. We got separated chasing after Hange" Petra admitted sheepishly, before begging, "-Listen, have you seen her or the rest my squad? I've no idea where I am or where I'm going, and there're titans nearby!"
"Oh don't worry about the titans, we've already taken care of them" Tanager waved off as she and her sisters stepped closer, "And if the scouts are all stuck in this fog too, the rest of our family are bound to run into them sooner or later" Bluebird added, "We got a little sidetracked chasing a few crazy abnormal's, so we kinda got split up too" Warbler shrugged, "But hey, we'll get you out of this pea soup"
"You-, know how to find your way out of this fog?" Petra dubiously asked, "Hell yeah! We know it back to front!" Bluebird smugly stated as she folded her arms, "Trust me, we'll be out in no time!"
"I'm not sure," Petra hesitated worryingly: the three sisters glanced at one another, before Warbler approached and stood next to her horse, "Listen," she spoke in a reassuring tone, "I know it seems scary, and I know you have no reason to trust us: but take it from me, this fog is not like regular fog: it's tricky, disorientating, and if you don't know how to navigate it, you won't find your way out... You're just gonna have to trust us on this, okay?"
Realizing she had no other choice, Petra reluctantly agreed, "Okay, but you're sure you know what your doing?"
"Of course, we don't make a habit of boasting about anything we can't do" Tanager shrugged, "And trust me, navigating this fog is something we can do in our sleep" Bluebird scoffed: "Come on, let's get moving..." she beckoned the scout to follow, as they started walking away: Petra made sure to stay close, for fear of loosing sight of them.
"So," Warbler changed the subject, "What was Hange doing? Riding into the fog I presume?"
"Oh, she thought you guys might be hiding inside: I guess her assumption was right on the mark" Petra thought aloud. "Figures," Warbler smirked, "I don't get how someone like her can be both crazy and smart at the same time? Kinda counter-intuitive don't you think?" Bluebird gazed up at the scout: "Well? Granted she can get a tad carried away with herself at times: but you know, she's actually pretty perceptive once you get to know her" Petra reasoned, "There's smart, and there's thinking your smart; there is a difference" Warbler pointed out, "For sure, but Hange's no amateur when it comes to titan science: we've made great strides thanks to her, and the last few months have been, unprecedented to say the least"
"That's for sure" Tanager nodded, "Say, why did Levi pick you to be part of his special lil' squad? Don't get me wrong, you've got some serious skills, but a guy like that in charge? How the hell are you able to stomach him?" Bluebird asked bluntly, to which Petra couldn't help but smile: "Yeah, he's not the most approachable guy: but he is a capable squad leader and talented scout. They don't call him humanity's strongest for nothing"
"Humanity's strongest? Seriously?! That lil' pipsqueak?!" Bluebird couldn't help but laugh, while her sisters tried to stifle their giggles: "You better not mention that to Midnight, or she's gonna take it as a personal challenge" Warbler playfully punched her on the shoulder.
The memory of the black and white titan wiped the smile off of Petra's face: "...Um? ...About her..." she grabbed their attention, the three sisters gazed up as she asked "What happened over the other side of the river a few days ago: were you-, watching us?"
"You mean did we see you guys get your asses handed to you by Midnight? …." Bluebird smirked, before turning and watching ahead as she continued to lead the way. "No, we three weren't there to see that, but Raven, Rook and Jackdaw filled us in on the details: from what I understand it was pretty quick, not as drawn out as a lot of us were expecting it to be. Which was kind of a surprise, given the Levi squad's level of expertise: guess you guys are gonna have to hit the training grounds when you get home huh?"
"Y-yeah I guess," Petra sighed anxiously, "Look, it wasn't anything personal, we promise" Warbler gently patted her on the knee, trying to sound friendly, "It's just that-, last month's encounter could've very nearly gone sour: and it got us thinking about what might happen if the scouts suddenly think we're an enemy. Hell with all the titans in Maria we got enough enemies as it is, we don't need the 'wings of freedom' giving us grief as well", "So we figured a lil' test was in order to push the limits of your guy's tolerance: and since the Levi squad are the best scouts around, it was kind of a no-brainer really" Bluebird shrugged.
"Okay, that makes sense," Petra nodded in agreement, before asking "But-, how did Midnight figure out our attack formation like that?". "We've been watching you guys for the last few years, duh!" Bluebird shot her a deadpan look, "Seriously, we've seen you guys use that move, like a hundred times on the big fast abnormal's: it's not like you were going to treat Midnight any differently, right?" Tanager sighed.
"No, I guess not..." Petra admitted, 'Must remember to tell Erwin about that' she thought. As she drew in breath to speak, Petra noticed Tanager discreetly slip something out from underneath her larger neckerchief: a little blue crystal in the shape of a triangle, with a hole in the middle that was looped onto a long cord hanging around her neck. She watched as Tanager pressed it up to her eye, and seemed to be looking at something through the hole; much like a magnifying glass. It was odd, but she didn't ask about it: and simply continued with the conversation at hand; "... So, what happens if she comes back?". "Dunno?" Warbler shrugged, "I guess how things go down depends on you guys, how you treat her an' all: she may be a titan but she's not stupid; none of them are" Bluebird thought aloud in an unreadable tone. "If you treat everyone the same, you ignore the lil' things that set us all apart. Titans are no different, no two abnormal's ever behave the same: so it makes sense to be alert for absolutely anything, right?" Warbler reasoned.
"Yeah..." Petra knitted her brows together as she contemplated the girl's logic, "But hey, you never know: she might give you guys a sporting chance next time. She does love the challenge, and hates it when its too easy to win" Tanager smiled. "That's not exactly comforting," the redheaded scout swallowed nervously, "No, but someone needs to make sure you guys stay on your toes: can't have the scouts best being beaten a second around can we?" Bluebird smirked with a cheeky glint in her eyes. Petra was about to ask something else, when she noticed the dark grey fog was beginning to turn bright, and up ahead the dense cloud was beginning to thin out, until a haze of green could be made out in the distance.
"Well, this is the edge of the fog: just carry on following the sun and you should be out soon enough" Warbler smiled, "You're not coming?" Petra asked, "Nah, we gotta go look for the others: but don't worry, we'll be okay" Bluebird waved off nonchalantly. "Be careful, and be sure not to ride into it again" Warbler added, "We will, thank you" the scout smiled as she commanded her horse to trot on: pulling on the reins as something else came to mind: "Oh wait! I nearly forgot to ask-
But when she turned her horse, she saw the sisters were gone: that was spooky, but she decided not to dwell on it for now, and turned to ride out of the fog; wondering if this was yet another test of some kind. "I hope everyone got out okay" she thought aloud.
Elsewhere:
As he stopped to try and get his bearings: the fog just went on forever, and the fact there was absolute silence unnerved him even more than hearing a titans footfalls; "This is bad: where the hell could they have all gone?..." Gunther cursed under his breath,
"They're probably somewhere else?" a voice behind him spoke up: tugging his horse's reins to make the animal turn, the scout was surprised to see Swallow and her brother Swift standing some two meters away, "You two..." he suddenly remembered them from a few days ago, "How the hell did you sneak up like that?"
"We're hunters, it's kinda our thing?" Swallow shrugged with a sheepish smile beneath her neckerchief, trying not to come off as sarcastic: "We heard someone shouting and realized it wasn't one of us," Swift explained in an unreadable tone as he folded his arms, "Followed it to here, and here we find you"
"Are-, you lost too?" the older man asked in concern, "Not really, but we did kinda loose track of the others: the titans have been giving us the run-around today: and a few wild abnormal's forced us to split up" Swallow explained, "We were on our way back when we heard you calling out for your friends: did you guys ride right into the fog?". "Yeah, we did: and now I can't seem to locate anyone" Gunther sighed, "Have you guys seen them anywhere?". "Your squad? No, but we can lead you to the edge of the fog: they might have made it out already?" She suggested with a shrug.
"Wait, you guys know how to find your way out of this pea soup?" the scout gazed at them sceptically: "Pretty much: it's not like regular fog, so there's a technique to navigating it," Swift unfolded his arms as he and his sister approached closer, "You coming or not?"
"Guess I don't have much of a choice," Gunther sighed in slight frustration, making a mental note to be on guard, "Okay, lead the way": and with that, the two siblings walked off with the scout riding parallel to them. "Hey, you guys haven't seen Hange by any chance?" he asked offhand, "Crazy-bangs? I think we'd remember running into her" Swallow chuckled, "The way she goes off her rocker like that? I could shoot her blind-folded in the dark" Swift replied nonchalantly in a monotone. "She can be a bit, eccentric at times" Gunther admitted, "But she's no fool: there is a genius knocking around inside that crazy head of hers (believe it or not)", "Yeah, a mad genius," Swallow chuckled, "Given her 'eccentricities', how'd she get to be section commander anyway?" Swift asked offhand.
"She's just good at what she does" Gunther shrugged, "She knows how to lead her section, as well as assess the situation and determine the best course of action: a lot like commander Erwin in many ways". "Is that how he's able to get along with her?" Swallow asked innocently, "It's not a question of tolerance, but rather smart minds think alike; think what you want of her, it doesn't change the fact Hange's a good scout" he stated, before changing the subject, "And speaking of tolerance: what were your titans playing at while we were in Neness? I know you guys were hunting an' all: but why let them wander so close to our camp?"
"You think we told them to do that on purpose?" Swallow blinked in surprise, "What they get up to when they're hunting solo is their business: everyone in the Hunt is accountable for their own actions, and have to handle themselves accordingly" Swift stated in an unreadable tone, "As long as no one got hurt, there's no real cause for alarm: right?"
Gunther frowned sceptically, this kid had a damn good poker face: he could tell he was smart, and not giving away anything, "Maybe, but that's not how the rest of the scouts saw it, and Erwin figured you guys were up to something". "Smart guy," Swift glanced up at the scout with a canny glint in his eye: being this close, Gunther noticed he had a large scar over his left eye, and there appeared to be more hidden beneath his neckerchief and long brunette hair; "He knows a parlour trick when he see's one" the boy commented offhand.
"You think this is a game?" Gunther challenged him, "Games are how we practise to use our brains and brawn: how to test our limits and learn from our mistakes" Swift replied in an unreadable tone, glancing up at the scout with an unreadable look, "No one gets the luxury of a second chance when they're out in the world and no longer playing: that's when it's for real, and that's when you've gotta know what your doing. Know what I'm saying?"
"Yeah..." Gunther sighed, getting the hint: "But tell me, what do you stand to gain from this?"
"Gain?" Swallow asked in slight concern, "You think we're up to something?"
"Aren't you?" the older man asked dubiously, "Everyone has a reason for doing what they do: you guys may be young be we know you're not stupid. So what do you and your giant friends take away from this?"
"The assurance that you and the other scouts aren't quick to assume anything without first stopping to analyse the situation" Swift explained, "And that you're not fools: which is a relief to be honest". Gunther blinked in surprise, but didn't ask as he listened to the boy: "The titans are enough of a threat as it is, we don't need 'the wings of freedom' letting their fear get the better of them, and allowing paranoia to dictate their choices. Being what you are, knowing what you were getting yourself into when you joined the scouts: we expected a certain level of professionalism from you guys; and a few days ago we were able to confirm as much. Albeit Midnight was the acceptation"
"She's fast, I'll give you that" the scout reluctantly admitted, "Fast? She's more than that: she's got plenty to offer in the way of a challenge" Swallow couldn't help but smile. "It's nothing personal you understand: but if you guys proclaim you're ready to face anything the titans can throw at you: then hell, we're happy to oblige" Swift regarded him with a serious look, "Someone wise once said: 'Don't ever make a deal with the devil unless you're prepared to die for him', the way we figured it? Don't ever follow a commander like Erwin unless you're prepared to do the same. A guy like him? You can be damn sure we'll be keeping an extra careful eye on you guys from now on"
"But what is the threat here? Clearly we're on the same side and fighting for the same thing: wouldn't it make sense to join us and combine our strengths?"
"Yes, but just because someone says they're on your side, doesn't mean they're fighting for the same reasons as you" Swift explained, "People can say whatever they want: ultimately its their actions that decide where they stand in the great scheme of things: and I'm afraid it goes both ways. Don't you think it makes sense to give this a little more time, and see where we both stand with each other? After all, your captain's gonna need a little time to cool off after getting his ass handed to him"
"That's certainly true..." Gunther nodded, before getting back on track: "Look, you make a good point: it doesn't make sense to rush things before getting all the facts first; but what proof can offer us that you're above reproach?". "What proof can you offer that you're the same?" Swallow pointed out, "Right..." Gunther couldn't help but smile: "You know? With wits like yours, I shouldn't be surprised you guys have survived this long out here"
"We've lived in Maria our whole lives, hunted in the forests all the time: and camped out under the stars more times than I can count," Swift sighed, "There are many places to hide if you know where to look: and honestly? Hunting titans wasn't too great a challenge for us; it just presented a whole new set of requirements: ODM gear for one"
"Did you guys make that gear yourself?" Gunther asked, gazing down at the wooden scabbard boxes on their thighs, "Yep, the forest provides us with everything we need to survive, including iron bamboo and ultrahard steel" Swallow smiled. "There's iron bamboo and ultrahard steel in Maria?" the scout blinked in astonishment. "Yeah, but only in the places no one thinks to look" She replied offhand, "The forests of Maria hold many secrets: some of which, are known only to a scant few"
"The only place I know Iron bamboo is found, is on the slopes outside the Industrial city, along with ultrahard steel beneath those same hills: it's found nowhere else in the interior" the scout thought aloud. "Really?" Swallow asked in amazement, "I thought both that stuff was found all over the place, you're saying it's super rare in Rose and Sina?", "Yep, rarer than titan wings" Gunther nodded, before grimacing at the irony of his words, "... Titan wings; I suppose we're gonna have to change that now" "Probably," Swallow couldn't help but laugh.
As they walked on, the fog began to thin out and the haze began to turn pale, as the sun's light penetrated the gloom: "Looks like this is where we leave you," Swift glanced up at him, "We can't go I'm afraid, we've got to find the others: but hey, nice talking to you" he waved good bye, "Just be sure not to go running into the fog again" Swallow smiled. "Thank you: guess I'll see you kids around" Gunther smiled, "Same here," the kids replied in unison as the scout tapped his horse's flanks, and took off for the sunlight. Glancing over his shoulder, Gunther saw they had both disappeared, 'Huh, guess I should've asked how they pull that off' he thought offhand as he galloped onwards.
Elsewhere:
As he stopped his horse to try and figure out where he was, Eld was having very little success: "...This is bad" he thought aloud, watching as the fog continued to hang all around him like a shroud, "No telling if there're any titans nearby either..."
"Then you're in luck..." he heard a small female voice behind him: turning in his saddle, he blinked in surprise as Cuckoo and Bullfinch approached, "Because there are no more titans in this area" Cuckoo added with a small smile beneath her neckerchief. Eld's mind began to spin as he realized this made no sense: there was no one behind him just a moment ago: "...Where did you two come from?" he asked, puzzled.
"From over the knoll and through the copses?" Cuckoo pointed away from him, which could be anywhere in this fog: "We got waylaid chasing some abnormal's when we heard shouting: and when we realized it wasn't one of us, we decided to go check it out" she explained, "And low and behold, we find a lost scout," Bullfinch deadpanned as he folded his arms.
"Yeah, I lost sight of my squad as we were chasing after Hange" Eld admitted, "Let me guess, Crazy-bangs wanted to check out the fog? Why am I not surprised" the older brother dryly sighed, "Bullfinch, be reasonable: it's not his fault he got split up from his friends..." Cuckoo glanced up at him in a not-too reprimanding manner, before approaching the mounted scout, "If you're lost, we can show you a way out: it won't be too far I promise" she assured him.
"You know how to get out of this fog?" Eld raised an eyebrow, "You doubt us?" Bullfinch glanced up at him sceptically, "Well? I just find it hard to believe anyone can navigate fog like this" Eld reasoned, sensing the boy's air of hostility towards him. "Well don't worry, this fog is not unfamiliar to us: we'll get you out. And who knows? Maybe your friends and Hange managed to get out too?..." she beckoned him to follow, "Come on, follow me"
With Bullfinch trailing behind his horse, keeping a watchful eye on him while Cuckoo walked by his side, Eld wasn't sure what to make of this: these kids were speaking as if they knew what was controlling this fog (if such a thing were even possible): and it didn't seem Bullfinch was a mood for friendly conversation, "...So, you guys got split up from your family?" he asked, trying to sound concerned.
"Kinda, but we know where to find them, so technically we're not lost," Cuckoo glanced up at him: "Are your 'big friends' about anywhere?" the blonde man asked, "Somewhere: we'll catch up as soon as we get you out of here first" she assured him, before changing the subject, "Speaking of which, you haven't seen them about have you? Only, with this fog as thick as it is, your squad might've run into them by accident". Eld felt a chill go up his spine, as the memory of Midnight flashed through his mind: "Uh, no I haven't," he replied bluntly, "And frankly, It'd probably be better if you guys tell them to leave us alone"
"What? Don't like getting your ass handed to you?" Bullfinch scoffed as he picked up the pace and trailed behind his little sister, "I thought you lot in the Levi squad could handle any titan?" he deliberately taunted, to which Eld shot him a look, "Don't take it personally, he's just doing what all big brothers do: being protective and being a jerk at the same time" Cuckoo assured him as she stroked the horse's neck. For the sake of avoiding an argument Eld let it go, and changed the subject, "So, what is this anyway? It's no fog I've ever seen before" he changed the subject.
"Just a trick we use for when we're hunting within sight of the walls: we can't risk having the Garrison see us," Cuckoo explained, "Titans killing titans alongside humans? No one would believe such a thing, and there's always the risk the Garrison might try to take pot-shots with those fancy new cannons of theirs; so it's best to hide"
"Makes sense," Eld replied offhand, "But Wall Rose is over twenty miles away, why hide at this distance?". "Even if they can't reach us, you can" Bullfinch glanced up at him suspiciously as he folded his arms, "You're the only ones brave enough come out into titan territory, and you guys don't scare easily: thus we have to take precautions, not least from crazy-bangs and captain haughty-shorty". "I can appreciate that," the scout nodded: ignoring the captain's less-than flattering nickname. "But even if your titans are not a direct threat to us, you had to have figured that we'd take an interest in you. What you have, and what you can do is nothing we've ever seen before; such strengths would be a valuable asset in the war against the titans" Eld reasoned.
"For sure, but there's no guarantee someone might try to steal those 'strengths', and use them for their own gain" Cuckoo reasoned, before Bullfinch bluntly stated, "Just because you and the rest of the scouts all fight together, doesn't mean you all believe in the same thing. For all we know there could be one amongst your number who sees their position as a soldier, as a means to an end: fighting for their own reasons, their own goals, and not for the benefit of humanity". "How can you say that?" Eld frowned as his hackles began to rise, "We're out here risking our lives together, giving everything we have to try and learn the secrets of the titans, and how to take the world back from them: how can any scout think so selfishly when so much is riding on them?"
There was a tense silence, before Bullfinch gazed up at Eld with a disconcerting look in his eyes: "... You have no idea, the length's some people will go to for the sake of their own survival... If the colossus and armoured titans were to reappear, and break down Wall Rose? I'd guarantee you there'd be a whole bunch of people in the heart of this kingdom who would scream at the king to have the gates of Sina permanently sealed, and gladly leave the rest of humanity to its fate... There are those who're willing to give everything to see the people they love survive, and there are those who will give nothing, and will abandon their family's without a second thought... Just because you say you believe in the same thing, doesn't mean you're on the same side"
"And are you on the side of humanity?" Eld frowned in an accusing tone, "I dunno? Are you?" the boy shot back, "-Bullfinch" Cuckoo shot him a stern look, and the boy reluctantly shut up. "...You'll have to forgive my brother: he's not very trusting of strangers: I'm sorry to say we've learnt the hard way, that not everyone is so selfless when push comes to shove" Cuckoo apologized. Deciding to try and play it subtle, Eld let out a soft sigh as he tried to put on a more apologetic face: "...I'm sorry if I come off as bit hard: I guess that's just the soldier in me"
"That's okay, and my brother won't admit it, but he's sorry for being a jerk" Cuckoo smiled, while her brother grumbled something under his breath: "So" the scout changed the subject, "Is this 'test' of yours going to continue?", "Maybe?" she shrugged, "It's not like you haven't piqued our interest: and it would be neglectful to just assume whatever we want of you, without first assessing what's true and what's not. Leaving things to chance is very dangerous: and we don't have the luxury of a wall to keep the titans at bay out here; well? Until the breach at Shiganshina is fixed at least"
"Speaking of which," Eld decided to indulge his curiosity, "Have you guys tried to do anything about that?". "Are you kidding? The outer breach alone is over twenty-five meters high and seventeen meters wide, we don't have anything that can plug a hole that big" Bullfinch retorted. "We hunt the northern end of Shiganshina district regularly: with the amount of titans that pour into Maria on a regular basis, it's more a question of managing their numbers than trying to wipe them all out in one go" Cuckoo added.
"Ever wondered why your mortality rates have been consistently going down over the past year?" Bullfinch deadpanned, "You're welcome", "We figured you guys had a hand in it somehow" Eld replied offhand, "So how many of you are there?", "Enough to keep the titans in check, and that's all you need to know" Bullfinch bluntly replied.
Eld was about to demand to know what he meant by that, when he realized the fog was beginning to thin a little, and the eerie grey was turning bright with a faint haze of green just noticeable through the mist: "... Looks like this is our stop, and your way out" Cuckoo smiled. "Your stop?" Eld frowned in confusion, "Well yeah, we gotta go back and catch up with the others, but you'll be okay from here: just ride towards the horizon, and you'll be out soon enough". "Okay. Thanks for your help" the scout nodded respectfully, and took off at a full gallop: glancing over his shoulder, only to see the siblings had vanished: '...No way was that just luck' he thought offhand dubiously.
Elsewhere:
"CAPTAIN! CAN ANYONE HEAR ME?!..." Oruo shouted, "Ugh! Where the hell are you guys? And where the hell am I?!" he sighed as he stopped to rest his voice, having been shouting non-stop since he lost sight of his squad.
Pulling on his horse's reins and coming to a stop, the scout was now on the verge of panicking: with no idea where he was, and the fog seemingly going on forever, he was getting desperate. Looking around, he could only see about six to eight meters ahead, and with no buildings, trees of any other noticeable point of reference, he could be going around in circles for all he knew. "Damn you Hange! Why the hell did you have to take off into this shitty fog!" he growled as he tapped his horses sides with his heels: telling it to walk on.
Soon, a shape appeared out of the gloom, and as he rode closer, Oruo saw it was an old log with a long-since dead tree stump right next to it. Stopping again with the log and stump behind him, the scout pondered on what to do, "Okay, the fog was only about a mile wide when we rode in, so technically I should have ridden out of it by now..." he reasoned, before realizing, "Unless it grew and spread out between now and then! UGH!" he fumed, "-This is useless! How the hell do I get outta here?!" he shouted in frustration.
"You can always ask for directions?" a cocky voice spoke up from behind,
"-AGH!-GHA!" the scout nearly jumped out of his saddle in fright, accidentally biting his tongue in the process: spinning his horse round, he gawked when he saw the Jay twins sitting on the log and tree stump, looking rather nonchalant as they smiled beneath their neckerchiefs: "What the hell?- Where'd you brats come from?!" he demanded angrily, not at all amused with being sneaked upon: "We heard someone making a racket and realized it was you," Stella's Jay stood up from her seat on the stump, "We assumed you either got lost riding into this pea soup, or you'd bitten your tongue off for good this time" her brother smiled as he got up off the log.
"Ha ha very funny," Oruo deadpanned dryly, before putting on a stern authoritarian face and demanding "What the hell are you doing out here? And where're the rest of your lot?". "Probably regrouping by now: the titans have been keeping us busy all day" the sister replied with a shrug, "Lots of crazy abnormal's usually means lots of chasing and splitting up: we heard you shouting for your friends and figured you must've ridden into the fog by mistake" her brother continued without missing a beat, "So we decided to take some time out of our busy schedule, and show you the way out" she added with a cheeky tone, also without missing a beat.
"Show me the way out? Ha!" Oruo scoffed, "Have you seen how thick this fog is? No one can find their way out of it! And besides, how do I know this isn't some kind of elaborate trap set up to ensnare me and the rest of the scouts?"
"You don't" Blue Jay shrugged, "You'll just have to take our word for it: we know the way out" his sister added.
"Tch!-" Oruo scoffed with an obnoxious smile, "Thank you for your 'concern', but I can find my way outta here just fine!" he turned his horse around and galloped off. He rode onward through the fog at top speed, not at all knowing where he was going, but right now he didn't care: "Pah! It's gonna take a lot more than that to get the drop on this scout!" he thought aloud with an air of pride, thinking he'd managed to avoid trouble.
Up ahead, something began to appear out of the fog: two figures standing together: "Finally!" Oruo sighed with relief, but as his horse galloped towards them and he commanded the animal to slow down, he stared wide-eyed at the figures: the Jay twins, who simply stared up at him with a cheeky glint in their eyes; "Any luck?" Blue Jay grinned beneath his neckerchief.
Oruo just stared in disbelief, he was at a complete loss for words: 'How the hell do you ride away from someone in a straight line, and come back to them?!' his mind began to backflip as he tried to compute what just happened. Shaking his head like a wet dog, as if his confusion were fleas: he grumbled something incoherent and ordered his horse to take off again, making sure to look behind to check the twins weren't following; which they weren't. But no sooner had he faced forward, the same two twins, along with the same tree stump and log appeared up ahead again, "WHAT?!-" he blurted out as he tugged on his reins.
"Back again?" they both smirked. The scout stared at them both and frowned in a mix of disbelief and annoyance, "Okay! How the hell are you doing that?!" he demanded angrily, "Doing what? We're just standing here" Blue jay shrugged, "Don't get clever with me brat! How the hell did you managed to get ahead of me so fast?!" Oruo shot back, "Maybe you're going around in circles?" Stella's Jay shrugged, "Or maybe your starting to loose it; the fog can do that you know" her brother offered, "Make you see things, throw your sense of direction right off: if you're not careful you could become totally lost with no hope of ever getting out,". "Unless, you ask for directions," Stella's Jay smiled: "But hey, you seem like a guy who knows what he's doing; so I'm sure it's nothing you can't handle"
"Damn right It's nothing I can't handle!" Oruo fumed as he turned his horse and galloped off in another direction: this time without stopping for anything. He passed by the twins a forth time, then a fifth, a sixth, a seventh, an eighth: "This is not real. This is not real!" he grumbled through his clenched teeth, passing the twins for a ninth time, "How the hell is this even possible?! It can't be the same two brats, surely?!" he panicked as his mind continued to spin; and the more he panicked, the more logic began to give way to paranoia. What if they were right? What if the fog really was making him loose his mind? He hadn't found anyone from his squad, never mind the rest of the contingent, what if he was stuck here? And damned to be lost forever? Seeing the twins reappear up ahead for the tenth time, Oruo grumbled and growled a string of curses under his breath as he pulled the reins and came to a stop alongside them: "...Would you show me the way outta this fog ..." he glared at them with a hairy eyeball, "Please..." he growled: remembering the captain's encounter with Midnight, and deciding not to leave anything to chance.
"But of course," Stella's Jay smiled sweetly as she she and her brother lead the way, "Come on"
Oruo tapped his horses flanks with his heels, and walked on, following the twins at a safe distance, "...Witchcraft... Gotta be: there's no other explanation for it!" he grumbled under his breath, "I hope the captain's having better luck than me"
"So, how's that supply route coming along? You guys must be well over the half-way point by now" Stella's jay smiled, trying to make pleasant conversation: "You should know, you brats have been spying on us for the last few years now" the scout grumbled, "True, but it never hurts to show you're interested in someone else's good works" the brother smiled, "And spying is such a nefarious-sounding word: we like to call it, 'long-term curiosity and observation'"
"And besides, it's not like we're stealing from you: we've had plenty of opportunity for that, believe me" Stella's jay deadpanned. Oruo had to admit, these hunters were ambiguous but they weren't thieves: following the close encounter at Stinestadt, the scouts decided to check several of their supply depots along the route, but none of the buildings had been broken into, confirming the hunter's were not looters. But right now, Oruo didn't care: after what happened between his squad and Midnight, his bruised ego wouldn't allow any forgiveness. "Yeah well, you were pretty ballsy the other day: sicking that titan of yours on us!" Oruo frowned, "We barely got away with our lives! One of us could've been eaten! We'd have all perished if captain Levi hadn't swooped in to show her why he's humanity's strongest!"
"From where we were watching, I'd say he got his ass handed to him pretty quick" Blue jay smirked up at him: Oruo froze in his saddle, "You-, you were watching?" he swallowed nervously; his sense of superiority quickly flying out the window, "Oh hell yeah!" Stella's jay waved off, "But don't let it be said you guys didn't try your best"
Oruo blinked in surprise, before his obnoxiousness got the better of him yet again: "Tried our best?!" he exclaimed angrily, "-Listen up brats! I'll have you know we're the Levi squad! The best of the best of the best! Every rookie that joins the scouts can only dream of becoming part of our elite team! To rise up through the ranks to become part of the select few! Chosen by Captain Levi himself, we're the best there is when it comes to fighting the titans, and there is no titan we've ever encountered that we've never been able to put down!"
"Until a few days ago," both twins smirked, much to Oruo's ire: "Look, there's no shame in admitting you got beaten" Stella's jay offered in a more friendlier tone: "And what would you have preferred? A titan that beat you and then let you go? Or a titan that beat you and proceeded to eat you?" Blue jay reasoned. Oruo couldn't argue with that logic, and begrudgingly admitted "... I suppose being taken by surprise is a small price to pay for being able to see another day?"
"Hey, look on the bright side, at least she didn't use your cables to floss out all the titan flesh: you know she had a pretty big breakfast that morning" Blue jay offered offhand, "You don't say?" Oruo sarcastically replied as he straightened his cravat. "So, why did Levi choose you to be part of his squad?" Stella's jay asked, sounding genuinely curious: "Because I have the highest kill rate of all the scouts to date, seconded only to the captain: thirty nine solo, nine in-team, forty eight in total" Oruo smugly boasted.
"Huh" both twins glanced at one another in bemusement, before grinning: "So you must be the rookie, seconded only to the captain", "What?!" the scout exclaimed in dismay, "Well? Forty eight's okay, and the captain's kill rate is fine, but if we're talking about raking up the numbers: then you two have got a way to go before you can beat our combined record of two hundred and sixty" Blue jay shrugged nonchalantly. "TWO HUNDRED AND SIXTY?!" Oruo nearly bit his tongue again, "You're bullshitting me! No one in the history of mankind has ever raked up that many kills!"
"Maybe not when you're out here for only less than a week each month, but we live out here: it ain't unusual for all of us to kill a few titans every day, even when we're not hunting; and those little numbers soon all add up" Stella's jay smiled, "Besides, raking up the numbers is how we manage the population: Midnight, Shadow, Angel and Boar take care of the herds, and we manage the stragglers and solitaries; it's the reason why you guys have been able to enjoy such a long drop in your fatality rates over the last year"
Oruo sceptically raised an eyebrow: he was dubious of their claim, but couldn't think of a sharp enough remark to come back with; "So don't feel bad about it, okay? You kill as many titans to the best of your ability, just as we do; after all, there're only so many we can kill in a day before we run out of gas and food. You do what you can you know" Blue jay offered in a more friendly manner. "And, there's no shame in admitting you're wrong about something: just as long you remember to learn from your mistake" his sister added in a more serious tone.
"Wrong? Since when the hell have we made any mistakes?" Oruo frowned, "Well? You're not going to try and come at Midnight the same way twice, are you?" Stella's jay glanced up at him with a serious expression, "...Maybe not," the scout reluctantly admitted, "But it's not like you're going to pull that same stunt twice either!"
"Maybe, maybe not: thus far you haven't caught sight of us: and believe me, you won't catch us unless we want you to catch us," Blue jay cautioned, "There's not a leaf that falls in the forest without us knowing about it, and not a titan that's allowed to step foot into our home without our permission. When you step beneath the shade of the giant trees and walk among their roots, we know where to find you guys"
"Oh yeah? Well we know you live out here, and we know where to find you too, so how the hell are you gonna get around that?" Oruo scoffed, which the twins ignored. "... Serious though?" Blue jay spoke in a more serious tone, "Pride usually comes before a fall: and the reason Shiganshina fell is because the military and the wall cult were so sure nothing could ever happen to Wall Maria. I've heard it said that they never even bothered to place cannons up along the outer walls of the outlining cities... It's one thing to profess you're ready for anything, but when the moment comes and everything you prepared for proves to be something else entirely, what do you do then?"
Oruo was silent, as Stella's jay continued: "...I think there must be a lot of people in the interior, regretting how much they took Wall Maria for granted: god only knows we were no different. It wasn't until we saw our neighbours being eaten alive and we were fighting for our lives, that we truly understood just how much pride can cripple you"
Oruo didn't know what to say to that, as he suddenly felt his self-importance being deflated. He was about to change the subject, when he saw the fog begin to thin out up ahead, and the sun's light lit up the mist to reveal part of the horizon: "Hmph! Looks like you brats got lucky," the scout scoffed as he commanded his horse to trot onwards, "Well, I'm sorry to say this is were we part ways, and hopefully for the last time, because I don't want to see-
The scout paused as he glanced behind him, only to see the twins were gone: "What the?!-" Oruo swallowed hard, searching for them amid the dark gloom, but with no success; he quickly took off at full gallop, "...Witchcraft!" he cursed beneath his breath , "I should've followed mother's advice and become a pastor instead!"
Elsewhere:
Having been wandering around and realizing the fog wasn't going to lift any time soon, Levi had opted for trying to walk in a straight line: he figured he was bound to find someone or something eventually, maybe even an area were the fog was thinner; but thus far, he'd had no such luck.
With his blades still at the ready, the captain kept his head on a swivel: the fact it was so silent should've been a reassurance, as he'd be able to hear any titans from well over tens of meters away. But somehow, the eerie silence had a forebodingness about it, a kind of lonely feeling: and the way the fog remained thick, grey and encompassing gave the impression of being stuck in some kind of ethereal world; one devoid of the living, where only ghosts and damned souls might reside.
Then, the captain began to feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end, and an ominous feeling of being watched: it was then, he realised he wasn't alone...
"Need directions?" Jackdaw smiled beneath his neckerchief as he walked out of the fog with his brothers in tow, "You-..." Levi blinked in surprise, pulling his reins and coming to a stop, "What're you three doing here?", "Looking for you" Raven offered, "Midnight picked up your scent, so we figured you must've ridden into the fog by accident..." he pointed up behind the captain. Turning around, Levi nearly gasped when he saw the giant ominous figure of Midnight standing over him, smiling down at them with that sultry sly look of hers; as if she was scary-looking enough, seeing her in the fog was almost like looking up at death itself.
"Ergo, we figured you might need some help: seeing as you don't seem to know where you're going" Rook folded his arms.
Thinking this was yet another deliberate 'encounter' of theirs, Levi was in no mood to indulge their curiosity again: "I'll be fine," he frowned at the boys, before glaring up at Midnight, "And you, don't even think of following me!" he then rode off at full speed, glancing over his shoulder to make sure she didn't chase after him. The black and white titan simply stood there watching him as the fog rolled in around her, breathing a sigh of relief, Levi galloped on: he covered another thirty meters through the silent grey, before the outline of a fifteen-meter class began to materialize out of the fog: "-Shit!" he readied his blades and prepared to engage. But to his shock, he saw it was Midnight, with the three brother's standing by her right foot, "Well? She didn't follow" Rook deadpanned with a shrug.
It was the same Rook he just left behind, along with Raven, Jackdaw and Midnight: but how was that possible? How does a fifteen meter titan run that far ahead without making a sound? Even a light-footed one like her would make light thuds at the very least, and at what would have had to have been an impossible speed, even for a titan with legs as big and strong as hers. 'What-, just happened?' Levi thought as a look of confusion graced his otherwise sour demeanour, before an annoyed scowl quickly fell back into place: "... I don't know what the hell you're trying to pull, but it won't work brats!" he shot back, riding off again.
'What the hell-, how did they do that?' the captain felt his mind spun in confusion, he rode on for another fifty meters, before Midnight reappeared yet again, along with the three brothers: "... What is it we're trying to pull, exactly? I mean, you just kinda rode off without giving any real explanation" Jackdaw teased. "What the hell is going on?!" the captain angrily demanded, "I dunno? You tell me," Raven shrugged nonchalantly, "Look, we can stand here and argue all day, but frankly? I'd like to go home: we've had a long day, and the sooner we get you out of this fog so I don't have to listen to you bitch and whine about it, the better" Rook gestured for him to follow, "So do you want to get outta here and find your friends, or not?"
"...Do I really have a choice?" Levi fumed, before passing a reluctant huff, "Tch! Fine. Whatever. Just don't try anything clever"
"Hey, no problem: and if you still don't want her Ladyship here to follow you, why don't you follow her instead?" Jackdaw suggested. Levi paused, being right behind the titan would give him a clear line up to her nape, and she was okay with this? Something was off. "...I'm fine just tagging along from the side" he assured them dryly: no doubt it was a trap of some kind, and he was in no mood to find out what exactly. "Meh, whatever," Jackdaw shrugged nonchalantly. As if on cue, Midnight kneeled down and offered her cupped hand to the boys, "Let's get going babe" Raven patted her on the thumb, and she stood back up, glancing down to make sure where the captain was. "Let's go!" Rook called down to him.
As the giant black and white titan began slowly strolling away, Levi trotted alongside from over five meters away, being careful not to loose sight of her in the fog, but being careful to maintain a safe distance too: he didn't trust her, nor did he trust the brothers either. There was no way they were just helping him out: there was something else to this, he could feel it; "Hey, I forgot to ask!" Raven called down, "How'd you end up in the fog anyway? We just assumed you guys would see it and ride right around"
"You can thank Hange for me getting lost, along with the rest of my squad!" the captain shouted back: "Let me guess, she saw all the dead titans on the other side and wanted to get a look-see?" Jackdaw offered, "Should've figured as much," he sighed offhand as he rubbed his forehead in exasperation. "If its the rest of your squad your worried about, don't fret: the rest of us might have found them by now" Raven added, much to the captain's disconcert, "Chances are, they're probably already outside the fog waiting for you" Rook threw in.
Levi knew he couldn't take their word on that: for all he knew they could be lying, and the Hange and the rest of the squad could still be lost in the fog; or worse, the rest of the 'family' could be giving them more of the run-around. Knowing his luck, Midnight was probably going to tangle him up in his own cables the second he flew off his horse: as much as the idea of a rematch was very appealing, the captain kept a lid on his anger, and his professional pride; deciding to simply ride it out. "I swear Hange, if we get out of this alive, you're cleaning my quarters for the next three weeks!" Levi grumbled under his breath; gazing up at Midnight, he nearly jumped when he saw her smiling down at him.
"What're you smiling at bitch?" he glared up at her: to which she shot him a cheeky wink. The titan moved her hand so that it was right above the captains head: Raven suddenly did a front-flip out of the titan's palm, and as he fell he shot his lines up into the back of her hand, extending his cables out so that he came to dangle alongside the captain: gently swaying back and forth as Midnight took each step. "So hey, no hard feeling's about that lil' 'tiff' in the forest right? I mean, it wasn't anything personal, okay?"
"Tch!-" the captain scoffed: "Look at it this way, it's first time a titan ever let you live: not many can boast that" Raven offered. The captain glanced at him with an unreadable expression, before facing forward and frowning, "I suppose?". "You suppose?" Raven couldn't help but chuckle, "Midnight was being very generous with you guys: seeing how it was the first time you'd encountered her an' all"
"But not the first time she's seen us I bet," the captain glanced sideways at the boy, "Well? I'd be lying if I said we hadn't seen you guys working from a distance: and before you ask, yes, she was well aware that particular move of yours is your standard form of attack on large abnormal's. Which, come to think of it, you might have to re-work now?" Raven dithered, to which the captain only stared daggers at him. "Oh come on," the boy waved off, "It wasn't that bad". "It was in front of the commander, that's as bad as it gets" Levi growled, "Oh I'm sure he gave you pass: after all, it's not everyday you meet a titan that knows how to fight a scout"
"And why would she be prepared to fight a scout? Exactly?" the captain glanced at him accusingly.
"I dunno? You guys might assume the worse and come after us? We just figured it'd be prudent to have a back-up plan in case you guys got pissed off at us for some reason or another" Raven shrugged offhand, "Although, if you intend on holding onto a grudge because you got your ass handed to you, then you're a no-brainer: but Erwin looked pretty impressed from where we were watching; thus far I'd say we're in his good books for the time being"
"For the time being," Levi frowned sceptically, "But I wouldn't bet on it staying that way for long". "Why not?" the boy blinked in confusion, "Things change: and if its determined you and your titan friends are a risk to humanity, we won't hesitate to come after you". "Pft!- Like we didn't figure that's always a probability," Raven deadpanned, "Especially if you take your orders from a bunch of old geezers sitting in a fancy office wearing a bunch of medals on their chests for stuff they probably didn't do themselves, but took credit for none the less," he smirked.
Levi ignored the remark: this kid was trying to bait him, it was obvious; he wasn't going to fall for it, "Can't say I have much sympathy for bureaucrats either, but it doesn't change the fact your an unknown entity who's true motives we don't yet fully know or understand"
"The same goes for you too you know?" Raven pointed out, "We may have been watching you for the past few years? But what we've seen is only a small percentage of the sum total: we don't know what's really going on in your heads. Hell, for all we know you guys might be out here for a totally different reason, other than the preservation of humanity: which as ludicrous as it sounds, is not totally impossible; especially when you consider the lengths some people go to get what they want. Whatever it might be"
"You think we're here to purposely deceive humanity?" the captain glared at him: "I'm just saying," Raven threw his hands up in his defence, "We don't fully understand you guys, and you've only just met us: so let's not go jumping to conclusions before we've had a chance to get to know each other a little better; sound fair?"
Levi had to admit he had a point, and reluctantly agreed, "I suppose that's a fair observation," he glanced up at Midnight, "But how do these giant shits factor in? Where did they come from anyway?". "Who knows? One day they just-, showed up in the forest, and it didn't take us long to realize they weren't your average abnormal" Jackdaw grinned as he and Rook joined Raven at his side, hanging from their lines as Midnight continued onwards. "What's with the weird patterns?" Levi gestured to the markings on her back, "Dunno, they won't say: but it must mean something to them" Rook shrugged; Levi could tell they were lying, but decided to play it cool and not push the subject: least he might piss the titan off.
"...So where about's in the forest do you live?" the captain asked offhand, "Everywhere, we have to move around in order to find food and adequate resources: trust me, it doesn't take a titan long to find you, even with four friendly ones covering your back" Raven replied casually, "We were hunters long before Wall Maria fell, so the forest provides us with everything we need to survive"
"Uh huh?" Levi deadpanned as he glanced at their ODM gear, "Including gas?"
"You'd be amazed what you can find in the wilder places of Maria: hell, its not unusual in the more remote parts to wander some few hundred yards off the path, and be standing in a place no one has stood for decades, even centuries. The further in you go, the older it gets" Jackdaw explained, "And unmined iceburst stone caves are the least of Maria's secrets"
"Don't be ridiculous, iceburst stones are only found in the interior: beneath the Industrial city" Levi shot back, "That's what you think: and I can assure you we've not had to pillage the corpses of your fallen buddies to get our gas," Rook frowned as he folded his arms, "There are so few scouts dying these days that it'd be impossible to get the gas we need from you guys alone anyway: so do the maths and stop being so naive"
Levi frowned, "What about the smaller military depots? The MP's half-way points between the major riverside towns?". "We looted them not long after Maria fell, some of their gas supplies are long gone: with the acceptation of your supply route depots, we haven't touched them" Jackdaw shrugged. "I find that hard to believe" Levi deadpanned, "All that food and equipment just sitting there, ripe for the taking, and you don't even consider stealing it for yourself?"
"We're many things, but like I said: the forest provides us with everything we need. And besides, our dad would kill us if he found out we stole from the scouts". "Your dad?" Levi raised an eyebrow, "The Grey Owl: he's the Master Hunter of the Marian forests, kinda like the commander, only more informal" Raven explained, "And he's the leader of your family?" the captain pressed him, "Yeah, there's nothing that goes down in the forest without him knowing about it: he's the most experienced hunter of us all, and what he says goes"
"How come he's not here now?" Levi frowned sceptically, "Because he's hunting titans, along with the rest of the grown-up's, duh!" Rook deadpanned. "And speaking of grown-up's, how the hell did a haughty lil' sourpuss like you reach the rank of captain, never mind get permission to form his own 'special operations squad'?" he chuckled, to which the captain glared dangerously at him.
"Come down from there and I'll give you brats a first-hand lesson how" he gestured with a wave of his blade, "Thanks but no thanks, it doesn't take a genius to work out how you scare people into obeying orders" Jackdaw smirked, "And speaking of geniuses, Hange seems quite immune to your particular brand of sourness" Raven commented, "Yeah, you kinda balance each other out in a weird way" Rook smirked. "Tch!-" Levi scoffed, "Please, we have nothing in common: she's the scouts head titan scientist which means me and my squad are stuck babysitting her half the time. And by babysitting, I mean making sure she doesn't get her head bitten off (which would be somewhat of an improvement for her)"
"Oh I dunno, I kinda like her" Raven smiled, "Yeah, just give her a really weird abnormal and I could watch her go off all day" Jackdaw laughed, "Seriously, how the hell can you not find her just a little bit funny?"
"Because she's a reckless over-excited over-energized bat-shit-crazy lunatic who has the worst sense of cleanliness in the history of mankind, who snores like a three hundred pound pig that's been gargling tar, talks crazy shit in her sleep, never wipes her mouth after eating, rambles to herself like an idiot, and to date has never given a shit about personal space" Levi stated flatly without missing a beat. The three brothers stared at him in slight surprise for a moment, before a cheeky glint lit up in their eyes, "...You like her don't you?" Rook smirked. Levi snapped his head up in surprise, "What?!" he exclaimed, "How dare you-
"-Oh calm down, it's not like we'll tell anyone!" Raven threw up his hands, "Yeah, your secrets safe with us," Jackdaw chuckled: "Seriously though, given your line of work? You might want to pop the question soon" Rook grinned with a wink.
The boys then beat a hasty retreat up into Midnight's palm, before the Captain had the chance to go on the attack. In the same instance, Midnight put on a burst of speed as he chased after them, trying to get close enough to shoot his lines, but she wouldn't let him as she stayed just out of reach, chuckling in a deep horse voice as she glanced over her shoulder at him. "HEY!-" Raven shouted down to him, "IS DATING ALLOWED IN THE SCOUTS? PEOPLE WILL TALK YOU KNOW!", "DO YOU THINK IT'LL BE A SPRING OR AUTUMN WEDDING?" Rook laughed.
Angry, Levi stayed on the titan's heels, following her through the dense fog as it closed in around them both: until suddenly the sun shone bright and gloomy haze suddenly fell away to reveal the green horizon through the thinning mists. Glancing behind him, Levi saw they were gone, without even a sound; it was as if he'd been chasing a ghost.
"Tch!-" he scowled, feeling stupid for letting them get to him like that: "YOU FOUR ARE OFFICIALLY ON MY SHIT LIST!" he shouted, before taking off at full gallop, making a mental note not to let that happen again; and at the back of his mind, hoping and praying Hange wasn't near enough to hear what just went down. He knew she'd probably never let him live it down.
Elsewhere:
"Well this is beginning to get pretty repetitive..." Hange deadpanned as she gazed around at the fog: her eagerness waning as a quiet disappear began to niggle its way in. "And where did the hunters clear off to? Have they already gone? ...I do hope we didn't scare them off..." she sighed, hoping that wasn't the case.
Suddenly, the sound of giant beating wings made her snap her head upwards, just in time to see the shadow of a giant bird swoop downwards. Having a good guess as to what it was, the sparkle instantly returned to Hange's eyes as she took off for where it touched down: and sure enough, there was Angel, folding up her wings and licking a few stray feathers back into place: "Hey there sweety!" she greeted excitedly, to which Angel smiled down at her with a happy string of warbling chirps, as she bent down and started sniffing her over like a dog, "Oh-, sorry I'm afraid I got no ration crackers on me this time" she apologized.
"So your the one who was feeding her huh? ..." a small innocent voice spoke up from somewhere behind the titan's massive crest of hackles: Hange blinked in surprise as she saw the snow twins emerge from the thick coat of feathers on her back: the titan unfolded one wing, and let them slide down her shoulder and off her feathered limb to the ground, "Figured as much, she was pestering us to go back to your camp that day" the boy smiled as he dusted off a few stray downy feathers. "Wha-, how the hell are you able to ride her without sinking into all those feathers?" the scientist exclaimed, "Eh, there's a technique to it." the sister shrugged, before pausing "-Wait a sec, you tried riding Angel?"
"Ah-, heh..." Hange grinned sheepishly, realizing what she just let slip, "Maybe? I mean-, I wasn't going to take her for a joy-ride or anything: it was just to see if it was even possible, you know?". The twins glanced at one another, then looked up at Angel: "Is this true?" they both asked. Angel simply shrugged nonchalantly as she let out a dithering series of chirps, as if trying to brush it off as no big deal: the twins glanced at each other again, and then back at Hange, "...Well? I guess we can let it slide: just as long as Mother Dove doesn't find out. Okay?" Snow Finch glanced up at Angel, who nodded in agreement.
"Mother Dove? ..." Hange blinked in confusion, before gasping in realization "-Oh! Is she the Lady in white?!". "Lady in white?" Snow Finch glanced at his sister in bemusement, "Huh, I guess that figures" he reasoned with a nod. "You've seen her?" Snow Bunting blinked in surprise: "Yeah! Last month, right after meeting Magpie!" Hange nodded "Is she your mother?". "Not blood: but yeah, she's kind of like our mum," the sister shrugged offhand with a small smile, "I take it she doesn't take kindly to us scouts riding her darling Angel here?" Hange smiled up at the avian titan, "The scouts? Well kinda?" Snow Finch dithered, "I mean, we didn't know how you guys might've react to seeing Angel, so she made us promise not to let you guys get close to her; that was, until 'darling Angel' here decided to go and check out your camp without telling us," the twins shot the bird-titan a reprimanding gaze, to which she rolled her eyes and let out a long blasé huff; like a moody teenager.
"Oh, sneaking out and playing hooky huh?" Hange glanced up at Angel with a cheeky grin, "Ah don't worry, we've all done it at some point: your secrets safe with me"
"Speaking of playing hooky, we saw you ride off into the fog from up top," Snow Bunting pointed upwards, referring to the top of the fog column, "Took us a while to find you: but we figured you must be pretty lost by now". "That's an understatement" Hange snorted, before realizing "-Wait a sec, you guys were able to locate me? In the middle of this pea soup?". "Well? Technically Angel did, she has a real knack for navigating through clouds and fog: being a bird-titan an' all, she has to be able to find her way through them when flying at high altitudes: you know? Like migrating birds do too?" Snow Finch explained. "Of course: it makes perfect sense" Hange nodded as she thought it over. "And speaking of finding a way: maybe we should get going too? Levi and his squad might have already found their way out by now" the sister suggested.
"Oh yeah, right! Can't forget about poor Levi!" Hange chuckled sheepishly, "He will be okay, won't he?": "Tough lil' guy like him? I'm sure he's doing fine" Snow Bunting waved off. "You're one to talk, you're at least seven inches shorter than him!" Hange chuckled, "Yeah, but we're sure he's used to all the short jokes by now" the twins smiled: "No one gets the chance, because he just shoots that scowl of his in their direction and they instantly shut up," Hange grinned as she watched them climb back onto Angel's wing, and get deposited back on her shoulder. "We bet that doesn't bother you though," the twins chuckled as they took their seats: "Ha! He's been trying for years now and he still doesn't get to me: even when he tries to kick me in the ass!" she giggled.
"Nice to know one of you guys knows how to keep their sense of humour around him: he's damn-right scary, and rude to boot" Snow Bunting smiled as Angel slowly started walking away, her metal talons clicking and clanking as they struck the ground: "Ah Levi can be a tad 'austere': but you know, he's really not that bad once you get to know him: he's just an acquired taste is all, like a rare wine" Hange waved off, "Yeah, a wine that's been corked" the twins deadpanned, to which Hange couldn't help but laugh, before her zealousness got the better of her yet again. "I gotta say, I'mso very happy we ran into each other again! I've got so many questions I want to ask you guys. Like where did the painted titans come from? Did they come with those markings or were they painted on? Why don't they eat humans? How is it they're able to understand our language and communicate as such? How did you guys manage to survive out here for so long? And how did-
"Whoa whoa slow down!" The twins threw up their hands, before Snow Bunting answered "...Okay, in order: They showed up in the forest outta the blue one day. They came with those markings already in place. Because they hate the taste of human flesh. Because they got brains with intelligence equal to our own, and linguistic skill are the least of what they can do. And we survived because we're hunters". "Smart hunters" her brother added.
"Okay, okay, sorry" Hange smiled sheepishly as she tried to curb her jittery thoughts: "But seriously though, why are you guys doing all this?", "Why not? This is our home, and we want to take it back: for all mankind as well as our family" Snow Bunting stated. "Well yeah I get that, but this is a massive undertaking you guys have invested in! Time, resources, supplies, titans, how on earth did you put it all together?" the scientist pressed them. "We're a family" the twins stated in unison, "There's nothing we can't get done together: our strength lies in each other, just like you guys" Snow Finch stated.
"A good philosophy to live by, for sure" Hange nodded, "But tell me, why did the painted titans join you? How did you convince them to fight for humanity?"
"We didn't convince them to do anything," Snow Bunting replied casually, "They saw what the titans had reduced mankind to, and took pity on us; all of us" Snow Finch added without missing a beat, "It's in their nature to be wise, compassionate and understanding: an alliance was never out of the question. Besides, they've been part of our lives for so long that they're family now" Snow Finch smiled as he stroked Angel's cheek: the bird-titan smiled with a happy chirp.
"I see..." Hange stared in wonder up at the titan, "But, have they told you anything about their past? Where they come from? How they learned to communicate? Why they're sympathetic towards humanity? These are the questions I need answers to!" she begged desperately. The twins glanced at one another, before gazing down at the scientist: "One day" they both replied in a regretful tone, "When?!" Hange pressed them excitedly, "When humanity is ready for us"
"-Oh..." Hange realized in a deflated tone, "... Yeah, I guess the idea of human-friendly titans is bit much for people to get their heads round..." she sighed in disappointment, before instantly perking up again: "-But still, this is knowledge we the scouts can learn in the meantime! Thanks to you guys we've learned more in the last few months than humanity has learned over the last twenty years! I mean, the possibilities for beating back the titans and exploring the outside world are endless! Think of the potential you and your giant friends could offer!"
"We know" the twins stated in unison, "And while you guys may have humanity's best intentions at hand: not everyone in the interior will feel the same" Snow Finch added in a cautious tone, "For some, like the wall cult, we'd be an affront to everything they believe: they'd call for our executions without a second thought". "Those wall-loving nut-jobs?" Hange scoffed, "-Oh please, no one's taken them seriously in years! Even after Wall Maria fell and they made all that hoo-ha about the 'coming of the great architect'; seriously, I wouldn't worry about them" she smiled.
Both twins glanced each other, and passed a quiet sigh beneath their breaths. "... Hey Hange?" Snow Bunting changed the subject: "How'd you get to be the scouts titan scientist? I didn't know the scouts had such a thing"
"Oh, well?" Hange smiled sheepishly, "It's kind of one-off thing I guess? Well I mean, the scouts have always had a scientist who specializes in titans, but it wasn't really given the credit it deserves, until I decided to take the position and shake things up," she explained eagerly, "Believe it or not, I wasn't always as keen on titans as I am now: after first joining the scouts and seeing my friends get killed, I used to cut them down in a fit of blind rage. But then one day, I kicked the severed head of a three meter out of pure anger, and the thing flew up into the air as if it were made of dandelion seeds"
"Yeah, it's weird how their bodies are so light like that" Snow Finch nodded.
"I know right?!" Hange smiled, "Over the course of our various expeditions I studied them as much as possible, whenever the opportunity presented itself, I never let it be squandered: it's dangerous for sure (and Levi certainly gives me plenty of flack for it), but I believe the risks are worth it if we can glean something we can use to our advantage," she gazed up at Angel, "You guys must've been spoilt for choice, having four whole new species of titans to study and catalogue! And a bird-titan hybrid to boot!" she grinned, "This is exactly what I've been saying this whole time! There's so much about the titans we just don't know! And with you guys, it's thrown up a whole new field of knowledge we didn't know existed!"
"Glad we could impress," Snow Bunting smiled, "But seriously Hange?" Snow Finch sighed, "We're taking a big gamble letting the scouts know of our existence: watching you guys from a distance for the past two years was fine, Magpie saving Petra was one thing, Shadow saving you guys from all those titans was another, but now the cat's out the bag, what happened near Neness was kind've necessary: we had to see how far you guys could be pushed, and how well you could hold your nerve in the face of the unexpected"
"Ha! I knew it! I knew you guys were testing the waters to see if we-" Hange blinked in confusion,"... Wait-, Letting us know?" she blinked up at the twins in further bemusement, "You mean, you guys deliberately revealed yourselves? Even though you could've stayed hidden this whole time?". "It was an option we considered, but in the end we don't think it will get us to where we're hoping to go," Snow Finch explained, "Hiding from the scouts isn't a problem for us: you won't be able to catch us unless we wantyou to catch us"
"Then what are you hoping to achieve by revealing yourselves to us? An alliance maybe?" Hange thought aloud, "Because you know, I think Erwin would be delighted at such a prospect!" she smiled. "I'm sure he would, but until we know for sure you guys can be trusted with the future of humanity, we'll continue to hang back and observe you; maybe test the waters a little more," Snow Finch replied.
"Trusted with the future of humanity?" the scientist blinked in surprise, "Hey, this is the scouts you're talking to! No one's more dedicated to protecting and enlightening humanity more than us!" she smiled; "You maybe, Erwin Mike and the Levi squad too: but we can't take any chances until we know for sure you're all in this together" Snow Bunting stated.
"Huh?" What makes you think we'd be a risk?" Hange asked, until something suddenly came to mind, "... Wait a minute, does this have anything to do with why you guys won't go into the interior? Who do you believe is a threat to the well-being of mankind?". "We can't say," The twins stated, "If we told you their name, and you started asking questions about them: they'll make you disappear, or make it look as if you died in an accident; and no one, not even your closest friends and family would know any different"
"Please Hange, for your sake as well as Erwin's and the scouts, don't ask anymore on the subject" Snow Bunting pleaded. "If it's your identity your worried about, we could take steps to ensure no one knows: we could even try to sneak you inside Wall Rose under the cover of night if that's what it takes?" the scientist offered with an encouraging smile. "It's far more than our identities; who we now and who we were in our previous lives is not important," Snow Finch explained, "It's what we know that would be at risk; the things we know about the painted titans, and so much more could be destroyed by those who would seek to keep mankind subdued in a blanket of ignorance and naivety"
"One day we will ready to confront those people: but not now. Not when the titans are still a raw thought in everyone's minds; at least, that's what we assume has been the attitude of the interior since Maria was lost"
"Eh, you're not wrong there" Hange sighed, "Things are still uneasy in places: and the attitude of the upper-classes in the heart of Sina doesn't help". "They never do: and I'll bet they've never even once taken pity on the Marian's who were displaced" Snow Bunting sighed "Especially after the failed retrieval operation" her brother added. Hange stilled, as she suddenly remembered what he was referring to: "...You, know about that?"
"All those poor people, sent to die simply because there were too many mouths to feed and not enough roofs to cover everyone's heads? ..." the boy gazed down at her with an unreadable gaze, "Yeah, we figured us much... You know? That summer was the worst: some days when we were near the plains, you could hear this sweet ringing sound, and from a distance it sounded like lots of people singing in a choir. But then you get closer, and you realize it's actually the buzzing of thousands upon thousands of insects, all feeding on the rotting corpses". "Some might've fled from that horror: but we looked upon those poor unlucky dead, and all it did was remind us of the reasons why we must continue our work," Snow Bunting offered, as she gazed down at the scientist: "...You guys too: you can't stop now, not when so many are depending on you to reclaim Shiganshina"
"I know," Hange sighed, trying to look on the brighter side "But we're getting there, one supply depot at a time: I don't know how we'll do it yet, but we'll plug that breach, somehow"
"... So, what do you think the scouts will do now?" Snow Finch asked offhand, "Seeing as we've revealed ourselves an' all". "Well? You can expect to be seeing more of lil' ol' me!" Hange beamed, "You guys may be the champions at hide an' seek, but that won't stop me from trying to study you guys and figure out your secrets", "Is that a challenge?" the twins both smirked, "... Maybe?" Hange smiled up at them with a cunning glint in her eyes: to which the twins chuckled, "You're on, crazy-bangs!"
"Well I-" Hange paused as she realized the fog was growing thicker again, as the avian titans and her riders vanished into the dark grey, "... -Uh guys? The fog seems to have gotten thicker"
But no reply came: "...Guys?" Hange called again, but to no avail: then, as if someone took a puff of air and blew real hard, the fog rolled away to reveal the horizon, and the endless green plains. Behind her, Hange marvelled at the towering column of fog and cloud, and was even more surprised Angel and the Snow twins were gone: "Huh, how'd they pull that off without flying away?" she thought aloud offhand, before she suddenly gasped in horror "Oh shit!-, I forgot to ask for a sample of feathers!" she face-palmed hard, "-Dammit!"
But no sooner had she spoken, the sound of giant beating wings made he look up: and from out the side of the column of fog, three huge white feathers came gently floating down, and landed by her horse. Staring at the feathers as a big smile crossed her face, Hange bounced up and down in her saddle with excitement, and shouted out "THANKS GUYS! SEE YOU NEXT TIME!". The scientist then quickly dismounted, gathered up the feathers, secured them tightly to her saddle as best she could, and then galloped away from the fog, keeping an eye out for the rest of the scouts: "Hehehe! I can't wait to share this with Erwin and the others! Even Levi will be impressed for once!"
Elsewhere:
Having long since given up calling for others, as his voice wore out soon enough: Mike decided to rely on what he knew best; his nose. Breathing in the air, the scent of grass and damp was all he'd been able to pick up, as he rode on through the dark grey fog.
But as he inhaled one particularly deep lungful of air, a familiar scent slowly wafted by: it was two of the kids. Who exactly he couldn't remember, but it was them without a doubt; deciding to take a gamble, he followed the scent, until a familiar titan appeared out of the fog...
"...Well, didn't think I'd be seeing you again any time soon," he frowned up at Boar: the tusked titan smiled down at him as he took a few steps closer, "Nor we you," a voice spoke up from somewhere behind him, and from around the backside of the titan's left leg, Waxwing and Goshawk stepped out: "...I take it you rode right into the fog, rather than go around it?" Goshawk asked offhand.
"Actually, Hange decided to check it out, so Levi and his squad went on ahead to retrieve her..." the human hunting hound replied: being careful of what he said; he wasn't too sure how the kids would react to him explaining how he got separated from the other scouts. That was one mystery he didn't care to try and explain, "And you got split up too huh?" Waxwing sighed, "Yeah, the fog'll do that if you don't keep your wits about you: it can be very tricky like that"
"You talk as if you know it" Mike knitted his brows together in dubious curiosity, as he studied the children sceptically: "Well duh, we use it for cover" the boy scoffed lightly: "Hiding from titans and the Garrison, trapping titans: it's pretty useful if you know how to navigate it right" his sister shrugged, "And Boar here knows it inside and out," she patted him on the forearm, to which the titan hummed in a content tone.
"I don't suppose you guys might have seen Hange and the others?" Mike asked offhand, "We got a bit split up after chasing some abnormal's: if Levi and his squad are wandering around in this pea soup, I'm sure the others will have found them by now" Waxwing reasoned, "We'll lead you out too if you like?" Goshawk offered.
"Well? I've no idea where I am anyway," Mike admitted, "And if you guys know where your going, I guess I'm following": "Great," Waxwing smiled as Boar bent down, and he and his sisters climbed up onto his tusks: the titan then tossed his head back, allowing the kids to jump up into his thick mane of hair, where they took their seats on his back, "It shouldn't be too far to the edge of the fog anyway, come on"
Mike flanked Boar, and followed quietly as the titan strolled away: keeping a watchful eye as they walked through the fog together. As the siblings talked quietly between each other, he couldn't be sure if this was another deliberate encounter, or an actual accidental run-in: either way, if Boar's sense of smell was really that good, if not superior to his own, he'd have to be careful. Studying the kids from where he was, Mike could tell they weren't amateurs, their scent confirmed as much, as the rancid smell of dead titan blood emanated off them. Despite their friendly demeanour, they looked tough: but then, living in the wilds of Maria surrounded by titans was not for the weak or heartless: goodness only knows what they had to have endured to make it this far: and the incredibility of it? They looked about the same age as those just signing up for the military, and being carted off to basic training. 'Erwin might try to recruit them all if he could' Mike couldn't help but think offhand.
"You don't say much do you?" Waxwing glanced over his shoulder down at the scout, "Just keeping an ear out for titans" the section commander replied, "Fog this thick is a death-trap for any scout". "Maybe, but not today: we cleared out all the titans from this area, and they won't be coming back anytime soon, so don't worry" the boy smiled beneath his neckerchief.
"I wasn't talking about the regular ones" Mike stated bluntly: to which Boar glanced over at him with a raised eyebrow, "If it's the 'other ones' you're concerned about, I wouldn't worry, they're probably regrouping somewhere back in the forest" Goshawk deadpanned, none to pleased with what he was implying. "Hey, we weren't to know you'd be coming back this way: we figured after what happened at Neness, you guys would take the western river road up to Bellbridge, and cross over back onto the main road to Trost from there" Waxwing explained innocently. "Following the western river road would've taken an additional five hours, and every hour we're out here we risk being preyed upon by the titans: it's time we simply can't afford to waste" the older man explained in a serious tone.
"Fair enough" the boy shrugged, "But if you're still a little jittery from a few day's ago, it's okay. It's not everyday you meet guys like Boar" he patted the titan on his shoulder, and Boar gave an approving wag of his tail.
"Jittery? Hardly" Mike deadpanned, "The rookies maybe, but it'll take a lot more than your titans to dissuade us". "We noticed" Goshawk sighed dryly, "And for the record, we've no intentions of 'dissuading' you from your mission: you guys keep up your good work and you let us attend to ours; sound good?".
"And what is your 'good work', exactly?" the section commander asked, deciding to see what he could glean from this: "Same as yours," Waxwing shrugged, "Trying to help humanity beat back the titans: though, the idea of there being human-friendly titans is gonna be a tough one to sell to the interior"
"Undoubtedly" Mike agreed, "So what do you intend to do about it?"
"You make it sound as if we intend to do more harm than good," Goshawk frowned down at him: Waxwing placed his hand on her shoulder, and explained in a more frank tone "For now, nothing: it's been three years since Maria fell, but even we know things must still be tense among the populous. Hell, there are some nights when the winds blow from the north, and they carry the scent of all that fear with them: it's unnerving to say the least, and trying convince everyone there're titans that don't eat humans isn't going to go down well; or at the least, it won't come without it's complications. So we decided the best option would be to work in secret, as far as everyone in the interior is concerned"
"And what about us?" Mike asked: to which Goshawk replied "After last month's little 'encounter', we did some thinking: and we decided it probably wouldn't hurt if you guys knew about us. Everyone calls the scouts the 'pinnacle of human wisdom'; and suffice to say you guys aren't stupid. Besides, with you being out here on a monthly basis, you were bound to run into us again, eventually" she shrugged.
"I get that," Mike offered in a more approachable tone, "But why not simply join us? Put your strength and your titans to better use as part of the Survey corp? Granted the public might still be wary, but under the banner of the scouts you'd be acknowledged as an ally of humanity". "A nice offer, but I'm afraid it's not that simple," Goshawk sighed, "There's far more to this than just 'painted' titans and us: there're things we know that would get us killed; regardless of whether we're scouts or not. Information that's forbidden by royal decree and governmental law, as well as by order of the Wall Cult"
"Knowledge of the outside world?" Mike blinked in surprise, "That's a pretty bold claim": "Bold, but true none the less, and I dare say it could get you and the rest of the scouts in trouble too; so for your sakes as well as our own, I wouldn't ask too many questions" Waxwing stated seriously.
"Fair enough, but how did you come by this knowledge? Did the titans share it with you?" the scout pressed him: "In a way," Waxwing dithered, "They, like the forests of Maria, have many secrets; some, mankind hasn't known for an age; and still keep beneath the shade of their canopies and the roots of their trees. It's not a question of whether we're enemies or allies of humanity, but rather, is humanity ready to know what we know?"
"And what do you know?" the scout raised an eyebrow. The siblings were quiet for a brief moment, before Waxwing sighed, "...More than I ever thought I could know in a single lifetime: and you know? I've never been able to look at the world around me the same way again; not this kingdom, not the people within it, nothing; but if anything, it gives me hope. Hope that one day all this will pass into history, and we will all look back on it and remember it as it was; the good, the bad, everything. No more secrets, no more hiding, and we'll all move on from it with something brighter in mind" he thought aloud, "... I know that must sound kinda stupid to you, and I know I sound like I'm reaching a bit; but if there's one thing I've learnt these past few years, it's that defeat is not a certainty as long as you keep on fighting..."
Mike gazed up at the boy, and stared at him with an unreadable expression: as strange as his choice of words were, there was a sense of truth in it: a truth that, as a scout he could understand. He didn't know what Waxwing was referring to, but he could tell there was something: something he was gazing up at that he couldn't see; and it sounded eerily familiar to someone he knew...
"Call me crazy, but I think Erwin would approve of you guys," the scout sighed with a slight smile tugging at the corner of his mouth, "You sound like you have the heart for this". "You think?" Waxwing smiled as he glanced down at him: "Living out here with titans all around? I don't know if I could do that," the scout admitted, "I don't know if you're really an enemy or an ally of humanity, but you don't strike me as evil"
"But, doesn't being an enemy of humanity mean you're evil?" Goshawk blinked in confusion, "There's evil, and then there's being compelled into doing something you don't want to do: people often forget the difference, and it's easy to see things in black and white. In the end it's the choices we make that determines who we are, and who we want to be. It's not easy, but those with heart know not to doubt their instincts"
Boar glanced over at Mike, and smiled at him with a deep rumbling hum of approval: "Well? Boar agrees with you, and he's a pretty good judge of character" Goshawk smiled as she stroked his mane:
"So, what are the other three like? Are they just as agreeable?" Mike asked offhand, "Meh, pretty much," Waxwing smiled, "Shadow's about as soft and friendly as they come, and patient to a fault. Angel's curious about anything and everything, and will sneak away to check out whatever's going on: and Midnight? Well? I think you guys already get the gist of what she's like". "She's a shrewd one, that's for sure" Mike frowned: "She's shrewd, yes: but she's kinda like a big sister really; kinda the sassy out-going fun-loving girl who's the last one out the Inn and first to the dance floor of every harvest festival" the boy smirked, "Seriously, she's not bad, just-, ballsy is all", "And a bit cheeky" his sister chuckled, to which Boar couldn't help but chuckle.
"This is just a shot in the dark, but is it safe to assume that little 'encounter' the Levi squad had with her won't be a one-off?" Mike deadpanned up at the siblings, "Oh, you'd assume correctly: and with that rude lil' sourpuss leading his merry band of scouts, I think Midnight's gonna be getting plenty of kicks outta them" Goshawk smirked. "Still though, you really gotta hand it to the captain" Waxwing smiled, "Really? Why?" his sister blinked in surprise, "Because he needs a ladder to reach it!" Waxwing laughed with Boar sniggering through his nose, while Goshawk grumbled something incoherent as she rubbed her forehead.
"Came up with that one all by yourself huh?" Mike deadpanned dryly, "He likes to think he's funny" Goshawk droned, "Oh come on, it is funny!" her brother elbowed her, "-And I got a million more to try out on him!"
"Your funeral kid" Mike sighed, "But be careful, they don't call the captain humanity's strongest for nothing"
"Wait-..." Waxwing clambered over Boar's shoulder to lean down closer to the scout, "Humanity's strongest? That's his nickname?!" he gawked, before bursting out into a fit of laughter, "Oh my god! I gotta tell Raven and the guys that one! Rook's gonna flip when he hears that!". "-No you're not!" Goshawk cuffed him round the back of the head, almost making him loose his balance: "-Captain Haughty-shorty's gonna rip us all a new one if we take the piss at him for that!", "-But sis come on! The shortest scout in humanity's history compared to the stature of a giant! It's way too rich not to enjoy!" he protested.
"Like I said, your funeral kid" the scout shrugged, but his comment seemed to go unnoticed as the two siblings stared bickering with each other: Boar simply gave him an apologetic shrug and shook his head; as if to say: kids eh? What're you gonna do?. "Guess they're gonna have to find out the hard way huh?" Mike smiled offhand, to which Boar chuckled lightly. The scout was about to try and grab their attention, when up ahead, he noticed the fog begin to thin out, and he could make out part of the plains up ahead.
"Well? I guess this is where I-
But Mike stopped when he gazed back at Boar, only to see the tusked titan and his two riders were gone: it was alarming to say the least, as he didn't even hear them leave. Deciding not to hang around, he commanded his horse to go, and galloped out and away from the fog: "Erwin's never gonna believe me when I tell him about this" he thought aloud.
Elsewhere:
As his horse wandered aimlessly through the fog, Erwin was still trying to figure out how he got separated from the main contingent, as well Mike inexplicably vanishing while standing right beside him. It made utterly no sense, how could such a feat be accomplished? And for what purpose? Plus, the silence was just as much a puzzle, where did the titans and the humming disappear to? Was it the titans-hunters? Or something else entirely? As he gazed around at the featureless empty grey, Erwin began to get a cold feeling in his stomach: clearly there was something else at play here, and it started when they entered the fog. But for the life of him, he just couldn't find a rational explanation for it all...
He was so lost in his contemplations, that he almost didn't spot the outline of a massive fifteen-meter class titan some twelve meters up ahead: drawing his blades, the commander got ready for action, but paused when he realized the titan wasn't moving; it was just standing there, watching him. When he saw it turn and caught sight of the spear it was holding in one hand, he put his blades away: and watched as Shadow quietly approached, and bent down to kneel before him.
"Figured you be back soon enough..." Magpie smiled as she walked out of the fog, sheathing her blue crystal blades, "Boar delivered your message: what'd you want to talk about?" she asked seriously. Remembering the events from a few days ago, Erwin dismounted and approached her: "Were you sending your titans to toy about with us two days ago?" he asked bluntly; Magpie studied him dubiously, "... Not deliberately: they like to do their own thing when they're not with us, so there's no telling what they might get up to" she replied casually, "Though that being said, they certainly gave you a few things to think about, huh?"
"So you were watching us," Erwin gazed down at her with a canny stare, "Yeah, but that's not new to you, is it?" Magpie shot back in an equally cunning tone, folding her arms, "You know we've been watching you for some time now: so how about we cut to the chase and discuss what's really on your mind..." she walked off, beckoning him to follow. As Erwin grabbed his horse's reins, Shadow stood back up and followed from a short distance away: keeping his bright blues on them both as the commander walked alongside the girl. "For one, that was a smart move: testing us to see how we'd react to your giant friends at close quarters," Erwin glanced up at Shadow.
"It was inevitable: this month's expedition just seemed like good a time as any," Magpie shrugged, "And I have to say, you guys held your nerve a lot better than we expected," she smiled at him, "Glad we could exceed your expectations: but now that we've established our mutual curiosity for each other, where do we go from here do you think?" he asked bluntly.
"We may have established the fact we're curious about you: but that doesn't mean we trust you," Magpie stated as she gazed out into the fog: "You and I? We come from very different worlds, and how close those worlds touch is what we need to ascertain. What I said last month still stands: you've all got to learn before you can ask; least your questions will be informed ones"
"Informed of what?" Erwin frowned, before he realized: "Wait... Are you referring to what you said last month, about how there are certain things you're not allowed to know when you're on the other side of wall Rose?" he stopped. Magpie stopped after taking another few steps, and paused for a moment, as if contemplating how to phrase her words right. "...It's no secret there is certain knowledge that is forbidden from being known and discussed inside these three walls: but what would you do, if all that knowledge and more existed beyond the government's reach, and yet was practically right on your doorstep?" she explained, carrying on walking with Erwin staying close. "Ever since we started this endeavour to free mankind from the regular titans: we've come into possession of many of those forbidden knowledges, as well as other things the royal government and wall cult would never approve of: and for that, we would be killed if we were to enter wall Rose. I doubt there's very little you and the scouts will be able to do to keep us safe: so for your sake, and that of your scouts, that's all I'm going to tell you on the matter"
"Fine: but you do realize that without proof, I can't entirely take you at your word," Erwin cautioned, "We know, and we understand: but I'm just saying; when you return to Trost, it'd be best not to go asking questions" Magpie warned. "Why?" the commander pressed her, "...Because, you'll disappear: and probably die in a very dark place somewhere: and as far as everyone will be led to believe? You'll have died in an accident: with no witnesses to see what actually happened..."
Erwin was silent for a long moment, as memories of his father came back to haunt him: he knew what Magpie was talking about; he didn't doubt the truth in her words, and knew it'd be best to leave it at that, "...I see..." he replied quietly, discreetly letting the subject drop: "...So, what questions are you expecting us to ask?"
"You're the genius of the scouts" Magpie grinned, "You figure it out, or else it defeats the whole point of your learning experience" she folded her arms, "Although, I suppose one clue won't hurt... One of the things about learning right, is that you need to want to learn: let go of any beliefs that aren't true anymore, open your mind, and just listen or see, whatever it is your willing to find. It's not easy, and not everyone can open their minds so freely: it takes courage, willingness, and above all choice. You can't just force people to learn if they don't want to, and if they don't want to learn because it may be too much for them, or because it goes against their beliefs, then there's not much you can do about that either. All you can do is try, and even if you don't get it, that's not a bad thing; at least you can say you gave it your best shot" she thought aloud in an honest tone, "And who knows? Sometimes you come across something you weren't expecting to find: life's weird like that"
"You sound as if you speak from experience," Erwin observed, "...There's a lot of
'forbidden knowledges' me and my family knew, even before we met Shadow and his kin," Magpie sighed, as she sided up next to the horse and gently stroked its neck and mane, "...Before Shiganshina fell, back when our lives were more simpler: we hid our true faces away, least we'd be led to the hangman's noose: but now? Living out here, free from the government and the cult's reach, we don't have to hide anymore: and we've been better for it. Yeah the titans are everywhere out here and it's dangerous as hell, but its a small price to pay for our freedom... We just wish the rest of mankind had that same freedom too; maybe then, there'd be no need for anyone to hide in plain sight anymore? And ultimately, everyone has something they need to hide for the sake of their survival, right?"
"That's true," Erwin admitted with a discreet nod. Magpie added "There are secrets that have been buried in the forests of Maria for countless ages Erwin, secrets, that even this kingdom doesn't know exist: Shadow, Midnight, Boar and Angel being the very least of them...You may be worthy to know them, you might not: I don't know. Ultimately it's out of my hands: and it's up to my family to decide whether an alliance will be possible or not. It's nothing personal you understand?"
"Of course: in a way I'm in the same position," Erwin explained, playing along while at the back of his mind, he tried to figure out what she was really saying: "After last month's encounter, the top brass are eager to earn more about your family, and what their true intentions are". "Figured as much," Magpie shrugged, "What do you believe we're up to?". "You seem to be the smart one" Erwin smirked, "Why don't you figure it out?"
"Ha ha very funny," she smiled, "Seriously though: as far as the 'top brass' are concerned, you and we are fighting for the same thing, humanity's liberation from the titans; that's not in doubt I can assure you. We're just going about it very differently: fighting fire with fire for one, which is a concept I don't think many will take to lightly; ergo, we go about about our business in secret. Least everyone in Rose and Sina will freak out"
"Agreed, not many will be able to get their heads around such a notion. Titans helping humans to kill other titans? It wouldn't be a very believable idea" the commander reasoned, before something suddenly occurred to him, "...That's what the fog is for, isn't it? You use it to hide while you hunt. How do you control it?"
"Magic?" Magpie shrugged with a sheepish smile: seeing Erwin wasn't impressed, she got serious again "...Look, how we control it isn't important, and yes, we use it to hide when hunting within sight of the walls: it's very effective, but as you found out the hard way, it's nothing like regular fog. It's tricky, practically has a mind of its own, and if you don't know how to navigate it you could be stuck inside until you loose all sense of time and direction, and you wander around forever"
"You know that for a fact?" he raised a dubious eyebrow, "Nope, and frankly I don't want to see if its true" she smiled: "So what happened to Hange and the others?" he asked bluntly. Magpie glanced at Erwin with a smirk, "Nothing gets past you huh? With any luck they'll have run into the rest of the family. We're spread out all over the place today, so someone's bound to come across them, and before you ask, yes they'll have led them out of the fog safely: we may be a bunch of rogues but we're not heartless"
"Good to know... One other thing," Erwin changed the subject, "The lady in white, is she your mother?". "Lady in white? …. -Oh, you must mean Mother Dove," Magpie realized, "Nah she ain't our blood mother, she's just a really close friend of the family who likes to make sure we don't go causing too much trouble for the titans: and make sure you guys don't get too nosy either. You kinda left an impression on her after that little run-in at Stinestadt a few years back: ever since then she's warned us about getting too 'chummy' with you guys; has it in her head you might try to recruit us or something" she grinned.
"Who knows? You are at the right age for enlistment," Erwin smirked, "...Why is she and the rest of your elders reluctant to show themselves?" he asked offhand.
"It's not reluctance: there's only so many of us compared to you guys, and suffice to say it's the grown-up's who do most of the hunting: but they trust us to deal with the scouts accordingly, they know we're not going to give you trouble, (not the kind you can't handle at least). Besides, everyone turned out to watch the show at Neness, so who knows? You might spot one of them, you might not: luck of the draw I'm afraid..." Magpie shrugged, before turning serious again, "...Though, I think it's only fair to warn you: don't do anything to piss her off. She's one of the best titan hunters around, and I don't say that lightly given what I've seen you guys do: she could give the whole Levi squad the run-around, and I'm afraid the captain hasn't exactly left the best impression on her these last few years"
"He may be lacking in manners, but I can assure you Levi is one of the best scouts we have in our ranks" Erwin stated, "Oh I know that: but as far as she's concerned he's a rude little sourpuss who's nothing but trouble. Some people say a bear fighting a pack of dogs is entertaining: but I'll bet if you put those two in a room together? That would be a show," Magpie grinned. Shadow let out a long exasperated hum, "Oh come on!" she called up to him, "-Everyone's still taking bet's on that one!"
"There's a pool?" Erwin raised an eyebrow, "Oh yeah, everyone in the family's been taking wages: so far I'm down to my last good piece of smoked jerky and three copper coins; but Hange though? She's the favourite at three to one"
"In a fight against 'Mother Dove?'"
"Hell no! she wouldn't last five seconds against her: the wager with Hange, is how crazy she'll be trying to collect new data on our 'giant friends'". Erwin couldn't help but smile, "Well? I don't think you'll loose that bet"
"Oh I know I won't," Magpie smiled as she beckoned Shadow to come down, the giant leaned over, and handed her something he'd been holding in his hand: a large lock of his hair tied up with a leather cord, and a piece of his blue crystal the size of a small courgette. "Here, give these to Hange when you next see her: least she might try something really suicidal to get her hands on them," Magpie handed him the gifts, "Think of them as samples, to show to the top brass when you get home. They want proof we're real? Hey, it's no skin off our noses: but samples from the others though? I can't make an promises; you'll just have to wait and see" Magpie smiled as she reached for one of her crystal blades, and offered it to Erwin, "...All we ask, is that you allow us to continue what we're doing unhindered, and let the subject of an alliance wait, until we know you're ready. Until everyone inside the walls is ready. Okay?"
"Okay" Erwin nodded, as he graciously accepted the offerings, "Thank you. But I make no promises either"
"That's okay" she waved off, "It just seemed the sensible thing to do: and besides, being a rumour might present some complications; better to give some form of confirmation and know what's what, rather than keep the guys in charge guessing (even if it is kept in secret). Besides, regardless of what the top brass order you to do next, you and the scouts are the only ones who're willing step foot into titan territory, so ultimately it'll be up to you what happens hereafter"
"That is probably the most likely scenario" Erwin agreed, "So what will you do now?"
"Eh, we've still got a lot of titans to manage, a lot of herds that are way overdue for culling" Magpie thought aloud, "We'll be around though, we'll check in every now and then to make sure that supply route is coming along nicely: and maybe throw Hange a bone or two? Keep Levi and his squad on their toes: you know, just general stuff". "General stuff?" Erwin couldn't help but smile, "Is that your way saying we can expect to see more of you and your giant friends in the not-too-distant future?". "Pretty much" Magpie smiled, "That, and I apologize in advance for my idiot brothers and Midnight". "Apologize in advance? For what?" Erwin glanced at her weirdly, "Oh, you'll see: believe me" she deadpanned.
Before long the fog began to thin out, and as the dark grey gloom peeled back and gave way to the sun's light, the lush green plains could been seen at a distance: "Well? Looks like this is where we leave you" Magpie smiled, "We gotta go back and regroup with the others, but I don't think you'll have much trouble finding your friends: just ride straight ahead and don't let the fog envelop you again. And the next time you guys see it, just ride around it okay?"
"Will do... " Erwin nodded as he remounted his horse: once comfortably in the saddle, he then placed the lock of titan hair and crystal sample into his saddle pack, and sheathed the crystal blade into his left scabbard box: "Thank you Magpie: I will do my utmost to abide by your family's wishes, and leave you to your work: but as I said before, I make no promises. Whatever the top brass decide to do, I have no choice but to obey: and if they order us to capture you and your titans, we will come for you"
"We know," Magpie nodded with a cunning smile, "But if that happens, you gotta catch us first: and I'll warn you right now; you won't find us, unless we want you to find us". "That remains to be seen," Erwin smirked slightly, "But seeing as you've given fair warning of your intentions, it would be rude of me not to do the same". "How considerate of you," Magpie smirked as she wandered over to Shadow, fired her lines up at his collar bone, and flew up onto his shoulder, "-That might just earn you brownie points!" she called down as the titan walked back the way he came, vanishing into the fog "Good luck, Erwin!"
As he watched the giant fade from the sight, the commander then turned his horse, and took off out of the gloom: riding onwards until the air was clear and the sun shone down on his face. Gazing back, he saw the towering column of cloud and fog gently moving away towards the river: still swirling round, propelled by a silent wind; while the titan corpses he saw before, were now bones vaporizing away.
Looking ahead, the commander scanned the horizon for any sign of movement: until a familiar voice shouted behind him, "ERWIN!" Hange waved to him as she, Petra, Gunther and Eld came riding up alongside him. The first thing that caught Erwin's attention were the three giant white feathers Hange had tied to her saddle, "Erwin! Holy hell you're not gonna believe what happened! Angel came back, and she had Snow Bunting and Snow Finch with her!" the scientist beamed: "We all got found by the kids, and led out of that fog" Eld added. Gunther was about to speak up, when suddenly, another familiar face came riding along in the opposite direction: "HEEY!" Oruo shouted as he circled around and fell into place alongside the others.
"-Holy shit am I glad to see you guys!" he exclaimed in relief, "You wouldn't believe what happened to me! I nearly got spirited away by those two brats, Blue jay and Stella's jay!" he explained in a fluster, "At first I was lost, calling out for you guys, when suddenly they appeared: I could tell it was a trap so I rode off, and then-. The others all gazed at him weirdly, "... Then what?" Petra pressed him: suddenly realizing how ridiculous it sounded, Oruo decided not to tell them, "-Never mind, the point is, I gave them the slip before they had a chance to get up to no good!" he simply stated.
"Hey!-" Mike shouted as he rode up from behind, "You guys okay?". "We're fine, you?" Erwin asked, "Alright, I had a little help from our tusked friend". "Boar? You saw Boar again?!" Hange rode up alongside him, "-Tell me, did you manage to grab a sample of something?!", "No dice I'm afraid" Mike shook his head, "But Shadow was kind enough to give you these..." Erwin opened the flap of his saddle pack, and revealed the lock of titan hair and blue crystal, as well as the crystal blade in his scabbard box, "He and Magpie showed me the way out, and wanted you to have these, so you don't risk breaking your neck trying to get them" he explained. The smile on Hange's face could have outshone the sun, as nothing but pure happiness filled her eyes, "Oh-" she squeaked in delight, "This expedition couldn't get any better!"
"Are you shitting me?!" Levi exclaimed as he rode up from behind, and joined his squad, "The sooner we get home the better!". "I take it you got some help out of the fog too?" Erwin regarded him with a curious look, "If you can call it that: that giant black and white bitch showed up again, along with those three brats of her's"
"Midnight?!" Hange squealed, "-Don't even start shitty-glasses, I'm not in the mood right now!" he huffed. Erwin led the scouts away from the fog, and pulled up into a small cluster of trees, partially hiding them from sight: "I just realized we haven't spotted the main contingent, better wait until the fog has completely passed, then we'll have maximum visibility" he stated, before changing the subject, "So all of you came across the children?". "More like they came across me! The lil' brats have a sixth sense or something," Oruo grumbled, "It was rather spooky, they practically appeared out of nowhere, and without making a sound either" Petra commented offhand, "The air was still in there, so I didn't smell Boar until the last second," Mike offered as he watched the fog slowly pass by, "Which-, doesn't make any sense, given how that fog seems to be moving along". "I didn't hear or feel any wind either" Gunther agreed, "And how come none of you answered? I was shouting for fifteen minutes straight!" Oruo huffed.
Everyone glanced at him in confusion, then at each other: "How-, is that possible? I was shouting too; didn't anyone hear me as well?" Petra asked worryingly, "I was listening but didn't hear anything, so I shouted as well" Eld offered, "But how's that possible? I was the one calling out, so how come you didn't respond?" Gunther frowned in alarm, "I shouted too, but I must've been too far away to hear anyone" Hange thought aloud, "Too far away? The fog is barely a mile wide, one of us should have been able to hear you" Mike commented. "...This makes no sense" Levi frowned, "How the hell is it possible for all of us to be shouting for one another in a square mile radius with hardly any wind, and not be able to hear one another?"
A moment of uneasy silence hung in the air, before Erwin stated: "It's clear something happened to all of us in that fog: and we'll try and figure it out. So the first thing we do when we get back to Trost: quills to paper and write down everything that happened, the conversations you all had, as well as what happened, no matter how ludicrous or strange it might sound; understand?". "Yes sir!" they all saluted: "Commander, do you think this really was an accident this time, running into them when we did? Or was this deliberate too?" Petra asked worryingly.
"...I've no doubt this was deliberate" Erwin replied, watching the fog as it now moved along the edge of the forest, "The question is, were we all paying attention to what they were telling us". The scouts glanced at one another in a mix of realization and confusion, but before anyone could voice their vexation, a familiar sight appeared out of the fog some eight hundred yards or so away, "Looks like the main contingent made it out in one piece" Mike sighed with relief. "Then we better not waste any more time out here..." Erwin replied, as he gazed over at the forest, "...I'd say we've got all we need: for now. Let's move!" he barked, and together they all took off for the contingent.
A few miles away, on the outskirts of the forest: the children regrouped with the grown-ups and the god-titan's, as they all watched the scouts leave; the fog continued to swirl around over the river and trees, with more titans wandering into the towering column of mist. "Good thing we decided to bring along those hummers, and the extra set of baiting chimes" Dale thought aloud. "I'll let Ratatosk know where to find them: he'll send some of the lads out to retrieve them in a fortnight" Falken replied.
As Ariana flew up and perched next to her brothers, she glanced up at Angel with a dry look: "You know? When I said we should try being friends with the scouts, trapping them in a magical fog isn't what I had in mind". "Well Angel did raise a good point: it'd be interesting to see how they'd handle being on their own: and I think it's safe to say they know how to fly solo" Pascal shrugged, to which the bird-titan smiled and nodded with a satisfied chirp, "Plus it put everyone on neutral ground: no trees equals no chance to chase or trap anyone" he added. "Except for you guys" Josefa glanced over at Ariana, Ash, Rowan and Dale, "You had Shadow and Midnight to give you a ride out", "Not to mention you guys tagged along with Boar and Angel" Jaye glanced over at the Cooper twins and Clay and Hazel, "Hey, we had to make it interesting" Clay shrugged. "I don't see any problem with having the big guys tag along, It's not like we had far to walk" Belle shrugged as she glanced down at the seeing stone in her hand, "And Shadow did ask the spirits to help guide us out of that fog" she smiled.
"I can't believe how well these worked" Poppy smiled as she held her seeing stone up to her eye: "Great idea to have the spirits lead us outta there: or we'd be stuck too" she smiled as she gazed down at the ground: waving good-bye to the little line spirits, that led from the fog to the forest. "Not a bad trick, we'll have to keep that in mind" Hawk agreed. "I know the fog gave us the high ground, but I still think we should have done this up in the trees: where everyone would have been on equal footing" Ariana sighed as she folded her arms, "I know darling, but we had to do this in order to get initial results: there's always next month" Tyto assured her.
"So?" Clay sheepishly changed the subject, "I think that went pretty well, at least we know they're not the cold-shoulder types"
"Pft!- That's certainly true!" Jaye and Josefa scoffed, trying to stifle their laughter: "Humanity's strongest? Are you kidding me?" Rowan grinned wickedly, "Oh I'm gonna have such fun with that!", :Not without me you're not: Midnight spelt out with a smile. "I like Petra, she's real nice" Poppy smiled, "Yeah, I wonder if she knows how to make daisy chains?" Gale added. "At least we know captain haughty-shorty's good for a laugh" Ash smiled, "Only if you can get a head start on him" Ariana deadpanned, "Or have Midnight here snag his lines again: seriously sis, we got it covered" Rowan brushed off; "I'll believe that when I see it" she frowned at him.
Ariana then turned her attention to Fox, who'd been leaning against the trunk of the tree, brooding with his arms folded while Shyla stood close to him like always: she knew why he was annoyed, but asked anyway; "... So, what was with the attitude back there? Eld was talking to you, trying to be open, and you were giving him the cold shoulder: why?". "You know why" Fox glared at her, to which Ariana frowned, "Fox, what happened last month is water under the bridge: it was a misunderstanding that was corrected; let go of it". "I'll believe that when I see it" he shot back, "Fox," Shyla interjected, "Erwin is nothing like him: you can't do this every time we meet someone new: Erwin gave fair warning he might be ordered to come after us, doesn't that say something about him?"
Fox didn't reply, and simply continued to brood: Ariana knew the 'him' Shyla was referring to, and knew it was subject neither of them liked to touch upon. She dropped the subject, and glanced over at her father, "Well? ..." she asked as she joined him on the branch he was standing on: "What'd you reckon?". "Not one for beating about the bush, is he? I suppose now it depends on what his superiors decide to do" Tyto commented. "I think if it was left entirely to Erwin's discretion: he'll carry on with the supply route, and try to find a way into our world; he doesn't strike me as the type to leave well enough alone, despite the fact he now knows we're not going to make it easy for him" Evrard stated confidently. "That doesn't mean he won't try, not if he's truly determined to learn our secrets" Carla pointed out.
"...Do you think we did the right thing though," Ash asked in concern, "Not telling them about the Hidden Land? About the city of Omnes Scientiam?". Tyto passed a sigh as he watched the scouts, now little green and brown specs on the horizon, grow smaller the further they rode away: "...I've no doubt when the time comes, Erwin will understand why we had to do this: but for now, it's not his greatest concern". "But what about the wall cult? What if they do ask questions, and the cult finds out somehow?" Carla asked worryingly. "It's out of our hands," Bryson sighed, "What goes on beyond wall Rose is up to them: we can only do so much from here": "Erwin doesn't know it's the wall cult per se, and I don't think the others cottoned on either" Pascal thought aloud, "All they know is that someone, or some entity will want us dead if we enter Rose"
"But the fact we let slip that we are in possession of forbidden knowledge is going to leave them with questions" Lucy pointed out, "Questions the top brass might want answers to". "If the military big-wigs are anything like the royal government, then all they'll do is try to find some way to get us into the interior, so as to silence us for good" Rook added pessimistically.
"If they wanted us in the interior so badly, they'd have ordered Erwin to spend this month's expedition trying to capture us" Bryson reasoned, "We don't know what the top brass are thinking, but I highly doubt they'll be in close league with the government. The military, to a greater or lesser degree has always maintained a certain distance from the royal family's rule, mostly because of the king's policy of non-interference with military affairs, unless there is a threat that poses a direct danger to the capitol itself"
"So unless the armoured and colossus titans show up again and attack both Rose and Sina: the government won't be too concerned about us?" Clay raised an eyebrow. "...Call it a hunch, but I have a sneaking suspicion Erwin and the military are going to keep us a secret for the time being" Bryson frowned, "The scouts main mandate, besides trying to beat back the titans, is to discover new knowledge about the outside world, so as mankind might be able to expand it's boarders beyond the three walls: (at least, that was the tenor back when I was still in the corps). The government's law on forbidding knowledge of the outside world flies in the face of what the scouts are trying to achieve, (ironic, I know) and if the top brass are eager to learn more of us, then they know keeping us a secret is the only way to ensure there won't be interference from Mitras" the scout sighed, "...But then, that's just an educated guess: I don't know what'll happen for sure. But I can guess, if Erwin is allowed to, he'll try to get close to us; and scratch that itch that's now forming in his mind"
"I'd say we were pretty cryptic, don't you?" Lucius shrugged, "And if Erwin won't come back, Hange certainly will: I'll bet she won't let him hear the end of it" he smiled. "Speaking of which" Jaye smiled as he pulled out his little note book and writing stick, "There's no doubt Hange won't let Levi hear the end of it too, so who wants to bet he'll be doubly sour next month?", "We're starting at three to one, with Oruo at four to one" Josefa added with a cheeky smile.
As the kids and grown-ups placed their bets and bickered over who would be the favourite to win: Tyto, Bryson and Carla couldn't help but smile down at their giant friends, as they gazed out over the plains. "You know? You and Levi in a room together would be interesting, if only to see how fast he can try to get away" the former scout couldn't help but chuckle, "Oh please," Carla shot him a wicked smile, "I'd cream the pipsqueak before he could even break down the door; a 'rude little sourpuss' doesn't even come close to my opinion of him"
"But you would leave him alive, right?" Tyto smiled, "We are going to try and stay on Erwin's good side, remember?". "Yeah but come on Tyto!" Carla deadpanned, "'Humanity's strongest'?, I'd certainly like to test that claim!". "Well unfortunately Midnight and the boys called first dibs on that I'm afraid, so you'll just have to get in line like the rest of us" Pascal grinned from where he was standing on the branch below them, "It ain't too late to get in on the pool!"
"Seriously though Tyto," Bryson sighed as he glanced over at the Grey Owl, "We are going to have to be prepared for if Erwin is ordered to capture us". "Of course," Tyto nodded: "It'd probably wouldn't hurt to have a word with the Queen, and come up with some contingency plan for if the scouts do come after us" Carla suggested. "Agreed, I'll speak with Ratatosk and the council when we return, maybe come up with a few ideas to keep the scouts guessing too" Tyto agreed, "...And with any luck, Erwin won't disappoint us...Though, that being said: I don't think capturing us is his top priority"
"So, I guess I was kinda right: about the whole 'we're no different from them' thing?" Ariana smiled meekly, "I think you made a prudent call: we are different, yet we are the same: we and they" her father smiled as he put his arm around her shoulders, "And I think in time Erwin will see it too"
"Call it a hunch, but I think he already has" Bryson smiled.
As the scouts finally disappeared over the horizon, Elysia allowed her chest to swell with pride: "Would you like some eggs with that ham?" Hecate smiled up at her, "Not bad brat: that certainly did the job of being able to inspect them one by one", "And to make sure they couldn't get away or go after anyone" the weather-goddess added with a smirk, "I may not be as knowledgable as Jarus, or as all-powerful as Aureia, but I know my weather-magics: and I know how to use them in a pinch". "A bolt of lightning wouldn't have gone amiss to keep the lil' sourpuss from trying to slice your nape again" Herne glanced up at Hecate with a cheeky grin, "Oh hell no, Haughty-Shorty's too good for a divine smiting," She smirked slyly, "I'll loosen that uptight lil' attitude of his"
"You know..." Javorin grabbed their attention, as he kept his eyes on the horizon, "What Ariana said: about just being ourselves," he glanced up at the humans in the trees, "Trying to be something your not is one thing: but what happens when you try to be who you are, and it backfires on you" he thought aloud. Hecate, Herne and Elysia all glanced at each other in alarm: "Javorin, are you saying Ariana's wrong? That we shouldn't have trapped the scouts just to open a line of dialogue with them? I mean okay, maybe it was a little extreme, but you can't say we didn't make progress today; at least the scouts know we're reasonable, right?" Elysia worried, to which the blue-eyed god replied frankly, "...Reasonability is one thing Elysia: being fully aware of what your letting yourself in for is quite another": "Huh?" the avian goddess tilted her head in dumbfoundedness. "Let's just say," he clarified, "I don't disagree with what Ariana said: her heart's in the right place, it always has been; but I fear she (and some of the others kids) could become complacent. Don't get me wrong, I know she's not stupid, and her show of canniness and ambiguity kept the other scouts on their toes: but not Erwin. Back there in the fog I could see, despite her confidence and surety, he saw she was still a child: naïve, bold, and still wet behind the ears; something he's bound to take advantage of... Erwin is not sentimental, nor is he the type to make emotional investments: he will sacrifice, if it means bringing him one step closer to his goal"
"Which is?" Hecate raised an eyebrow:Javorin sighed as he thought back to Ariana's conversation with Erwin, and how he noticed that spark of determination and hope burning bright and hot in the core of his being; the one thing pushing him forwards, the guiding star above the horizon of his dream, and not hesitating or doubting his decisions even for a second. Such clarity of mind and conviction was rare in any human, never mind the mental strength to back it up: on the one hand it gave Javorin hope, and on the other, he couldn't help but wonder...
"...Call it a hunch, but I think he might be looking for the same answers we are: and that's why I believe he will accept our help, when the time finally comes. What worries me, is the path we'll need to tread to reach that point: how bad is it going to get, before all comes good again?" he thought aloud.
Later that night:
The gentle glow of candlelight illuminated the office in a warm golden light with deep pitch black shadows dancing and flickering to the sway of the flame, while Erwin sat alone with his thoughts: gazing out the window as he watched the city of Trost quietly slumber. On his desk, the transcripts of the scouts encounters with the kids and painted titans sat neatly in a pile, waiting to be signed and sealed, and sent in secret to the Commander-in-Chief. Through the small gap in the door, the sounds of Hange's excited voice echoed down the corridor, as she accompanied the others to the main barracks...
"I'm telling you, we haven't even scratched the surface of what's possible here!" she hurriedly explained in a rush of excitement, "I mean sure we got samples this time, but what about next time?! If they're going to make us work for this then we've got to be prepared to meet the challenge! Be willing to take risks! Hell, we might even have to resort to capturing one of them, if that's what it takes to resolve the mystery of this new titan species!"
"Capture one of them? Are you crazy Hange?! -Well, crazier than usual" Oruo commented.
"What I don't buy is that whole bullshit about possessing forbidden knowledge of the outside world" Levi added in a particularly sour tone, "It's obviously bait to keep us interested in them: and this 'unknown enemy' that supposed to make you disappear if you go asking questions about them? Fair point, there's some real shady folks out there that don't want to be known about, but no one who'd be so bold and stupid as to purposely take on the scouts; it's just a ruse. They don't want to leave their home, and all the resources they can loot from the abandoned towns and villages, it's as simple as that"
"For all we know they could be something else entirely!" Oruo fumed, "I'm telling you, that fog wasn't normal: it was witchcraft! I'm sure of it!"
"Sure Oruo" Petra deadpanned, "You keep telling yourself that"
"Whatever that fog was, it rendered us all helpless" Mike threw in, "They had the advantage over us, and they knew it"
"But still, they all showed us the way out: doesn't that count for something?" Petra reasoned.
"I don't know what they were up to, but I get the feeling this was both a friendly reminder and a warning not to screw around with them" Levi frowned
"Oh come on!" Hange smiled, "-You're still sore from Midnight's little tussle: honestly, there's nothing to say she'll beat you a second time around; and besides, what did those kids say that pissed you off so badly?"
"That's not important," Levi huffed, "The point is, they compromised me: they got under my skin and I let them; I won't make the same mistake twice. The next time they show up, they'll be getting more than just a piece of my mind"
"I think they'll be expecting that," Mike pointed out, "If what Erwin said is true and they got a pool on what you might try to do to get more samples, then it might not be out of the question to assume they're running some kind of bet on you too"
"Well frankly I take it as a compliment, and a challenge!" Hange stated boldly, "Oh please," Levi deadpanned, "Like I got time to be indulging those brats and that giant bitch: I'm not going to play their game, and neither are you"
"Hate to burst your grumpy lil' bubble Levi, but if those kids are holding the high ground in the forest, then none of us are going to have much choice" Hange teased, "Besides, you know Erwin: he's going to take it as an opportunity to try and get the drop on them, play them at their own lil' stealth game: and frankly, I can't wait for next month to role around!"
"In the meantime, we'll have to revise our combat moves and tactical assault formations: you gotta think fast to be fast around a titan like Midnight" Mike commented as they walked away, "God only knows that one's going to give us more than just a few sleepless nights"
"Don't even start" Levi grumbled.
As their voices and footsteps faded further away, leaving the corridor in silence: Erwin pondered on how this was going to play out. The samples they obtained today were certainly going to cause a stir among the top brass, and no doubt Zackly in particular would be most curious to see what the scouts could glean further. But there was also the risk this could be leaked to the wrong people, and assumptions made in haste and fear were a hazard to the scouts mission; but Erwin knew Zackly wasn't one for letting fear cloud his judgement, and the man was more than capable of keeping the other high-ranking official in line. No doubt the most logical thing to do would be to carry on establishing the battalion route, and wait and see what these mysterious hunters and their titans would do next...
At least, that's the most logical assumption, but something about this vexed Erwin; while his head subscribed to logic and reason, his gut was telling him something else. He had this surreal feeling of sitting down in front of a chess board with all the pieces neatly laid out and ready to play, but the other player has already moved their piece, and it was his turn.
Was this indeed a game? Was this the family's idea of testing him and the scouts further? If so, it would certainly be quite the challenge to meet, and no doubt interesting to see what the family had in store; but at the same time, it was bold risk. And one where the outcome was uncertain if they were the ones that lost.
Despite the claims of possessing forbidden knowledge, despite the assurance of wishing for an alliance, at the core of all this the hunters and the painted titans were a game-changer: humans and titans fighting together was a crazy idea, but one that held the promise of being able to take another step further, in the quest to unravel the mystery of the titans as a whole.
As Erwin reached across the desk to grab some other papers, he noticed the chess board on the table across the room, and noticed one of the white pawns had been moved: as if someone had idly started a game, but then got up and walked off; and it was then he noticed, perched on the white queen was a large white butterfly: its wings so pure and light that they almost seemed to glow like starlight in the golden candlelight; it must have fluttered into the office by accident. Erwin got up, opened the window, and just as he walked across the office to catch it, the butterfly took off and fluttered out into the starlit sky.
Your move Erwin, your move
Erwin glanced behind him, but no one was there: the office, like the rest of the castle, was as still and silent as a tomb.
Hey there! Long time no see :) Well, sorry it's been a while since the last instalment, but life, distractions, writers block and slew of other crap kinda got in the way: but hey I'm back, I'm rested, and ready to start drafting the next chapter. :) Hope you enojoyed this one, and stay tuned for next time ;)
Oh, and don't forget to R&R before clicking off, okay? :)