The trio turned to face her as she approached them. She set the blankets and pillows on the roof floor, and then settled herself beside Isabel.

They sat in silence as they watched the stars. Isa recognized all the different shapes that Hange had shown them all those months ago. Their laughter filled her mind as she remembered the sweet moment. Sherri and Lucy had let loose wistful sighs at the story of true love. They had dreamed of the day they would each find their own love like that.

She felt a pang in her heart as she thought of the happier time between her and her three friends.

It feels like just yesterday we were all in training. How is it that everything went to shit so fast? Is there a way for me to fix this?

Needing a distraction, she asked the others, "Have you guys ever heard any of the stories about the constellations"

Furlan looked a bit taken aback, brows knitting in confusion. "Constellations?"

"Yea, if you look closely, some of the groups of stars make out different shapes, called constellations. Back in training, Hange found these old books in the library that held these stories about how the stars used to be people and animals that got sent up to the sky."

Levi scoffed.

Isa's face flushed at his reaction, now wishing she hadn't brought up something so stupid. "I know, it sounds ridiculous, I thought so too when Hange told us about them, but they were still fun stories to hear."

Isabel gave Levi a glare for his rudeness. "Well I don't care if they're ridiculous, I wanna hear them."

Isa gave Isabel a grateful smile. "Sure, if you want."

And so, Isa began pointing out the different clusters of stars and the stories behind them. The first one she shared was of the cluster of three stars that formed an almost perfectly straight line.

The story she told was one of forbidden love. "According to legend, long before the titans, there was a fierce hunter who was the daughter of a king. There had been only one person who could rival her skills. A commoner. The two fell in love with each other, though their love was doomed from the start. A royal and a peasant could never truly be together.

"One day, the two were discovered by her older brother. Angered, he took his sister to a lake one day under the guise of having a hunting competition to see who could shoot their arrow the farthest. Her arrow shot through the heart of her beloved who was out on the lake that day. His death sent her spiraling into a grief unlike any she had ever known. It was so powerful, that it sent his body up to the night sky, where he could watch over her for the rest of her days. The three stars were his belt, and if you looked closely, you could see the shape of a man holding a sword and shield, fighting off the unknown."

Isabel was enthralled in the tale, eyes wide like a child. Isa couldn't help but laugh at her expression.

"Can you imagine loving someone so much that your grief alone sends their soul into the sky?"

Isa shrugged. "Not really, for me it's a bit hard to believe." She didn't admit that she so desperately wanted to believe in love. She wasn't naïve enough to believe that a person's love could be powerful enough to do something like that, but she wanted to know if that deep, romantic love, the kind you read in romances stories, even existed.

Something in the back of her mind, that dark part of her that always reared its head when she had hopeful thoughts, told her that even if it did, she'd never have it.

"Aww Isa, where's your sense of romance?"

"Probably buried somewhere in Mitras with the rest of my childhood." Isa's eyes widened when she realized what she'd said. She hadn't meant to say that, but the thought had just moved from her mind to her mouth before she could stop it. She didn't want questions she wasn't ready for.

Thankfully, Isabel looked to be at a loss as to what she could possibly say. Hoping to move on quickly, Isa found the next cluster. This one looked like the shape of a 'w.'

This story was one about the dangers of ego. "Long ago, there was a Queen, who claimed that her daughter was more beautiful than the daughter of the King in a neighboring kingdom. The King, equally prideful, sent an evil creature to kill the daughter, the Queen, and all of her family. Instead, the creature that was supposed to kill the daughter, saved her. As punishment, the king banished them all, creature, Queen, daughter, and family, to the night sky as stars."

With this tale, Isa earned a laugh from Furlan, who said, "Serves the queen right for being so prideful."

Isa laughed in agreement. "No kidding. Pride like that gets you nowhere and nothing. And serves the king right for trying to get something else to do his dirty business."

She'd seen that type of boastful ego all over in Mitras. The nobles thought they were untouchable, the best of the best, and that anyone outside the inner city was below them. She'd longed to see the day where they ate their words, but it had never happened.

When she spotted the next cluster, she was quick to point it out. "This one is one of my favorites. If you look, it looks like a big spoon. If you pay attention to the stars around it, they actually start to look like a big bear."

This story told a tale about betrayal. "Long ago, there was a woman who lay with the King, betraying his Queen. The Queen caught them in the act, and was outraged. In an act of vengeance, the Queen turned the woman into a bear and then sent her to the sky as punishment."

"All these stories seem to just be the sort of thing you'd tell children so they behave."

Isa just laughed at Isabel's summary. "You're not far, that's exactly what I thought when Hange first told us these stories. Still, I find them fun to hear."

Levi sent her a bland look. "You and I have different definitions of fun."

"I'm surprised you even have one." Isa's eyes widened as the words left her mouth.

You have no idea how he responds to snark, and you're going to sit there and antagonize him. Good going Isa.

Levi simply raised a brow and turned back to look up at the sky.

Before she could say anything else, Isabel gave a big yawn.

Levi didn't turn his head from the sky. "Sleep Isabel."

"But I don't want to miss it." Isabel's voice was sleepy, and her eyes drooped as she struggled to keep them open.

"We'll wake you up. Now sleep."

Soon Isabel was curled up, fast asleep, muffled snores filling the air around them. Isa reached behind her and grabbed one of the pillows, carefully lifting Isabel's head so she could place it underneath.

"Isa."

She hummed in response at Furlan as she gently laid Isabel's head back down.

Furlan paused, as if contemplating how to best ask this. "Where is Erwin's office?"

She gave him a curious look. "It's a few doors down from Flagon's office." Almost as an afterthought, she asked, "Why do you want to know?"

She missed the way Levi tensed at her question.

Furlan was quick to respond. "Well he's the one who brought us here, and Levi and I just had a few last-minute questions we wanted to bring up to him."

She shrugged. "Makes enough sense." Though she wondered what else they would need to discuss with Erwin.

There was another break in conversation, and Isa wasn't sure what to say, or if she should say anything.

Thankfully, Furlan broke the lull in conversation.

"So, how long have you been a scout?"

"About two months. We had our first expedition a little more than a month ago."

"How did it go?"

As she thought about the expedition, almost instantly the image of Lucy's body stuck in a titan's mouth filled her mind, everything else in front of her vanishing. The blood drained from Isa's face as she remembered the utter failure that she was in that mission.

Failure. Pathetic. Weak. Useless. Why did you even join the Scouts? You thought you could make a difference?

Another voice joined the mix, one she hadn't heard since she'd escaped Mitras.

You'll never amount to anything. You'll die alone. Do you actually think anyone would ever want to be around someone like you?

She hadn't even noticed that a few minutes had passed since he'd asked her that question. It took her a moment to even register that he was gently shaking her shoulder.

Blinking, her surroundings slowly came back to her. Looking around she saw that Furlan was now standing next to her, watching her with those pale gray eyes.

"Are you alright?"

She wiped away the stray tear that had trailed down her cheek. "I'm…fine. It wasn't the best first expedition…not that I'd expect any expedition to be great to be honest." She took a deep breath before continuing. "We…got overrun by titans. One of my friends, she…she didn't make it."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring back any difficult memories."

She gave him a small smile. "It's okay, you didn't know."

The three of them sat in silence, this time enjoying the peaceful night air, the occasional owl hooting, or bushes in the distance rustling filling the quiet. Isa, feeling safer than she had in a long time, for reasons she didn't understand, curled up on the floor of the roof, struggling to keep her eyes open. As she drifted off, she never registered the feel of the heavy weight of a blanket being placed gently onto her, its warmth sending her into a deep sleep.

Isa awoke to a nudge on her face. She blinked her eyes open to see Levi standing over her.

Her brows furrowed and an incredulous tone took over her voice. "Did you just…use your boot to wake me up?"

He shrugged. "You fell asleep a few hours ago, and I didn't know when to expect the sunrise. Didn't want to hear Isabel's annoying whining if she missed it."

That doesn't answer my question, but I'm going to take that as a yes…rude.

Stretching as she sat up, she was surprised to see a blanket slide off over her.

I must have grabbed it last night before falling asleep.

Looking around, she saw that Furlan was asleep under one of the blankets she'd brought. She smiled at how peaceful the man looked.

Remembering Levi's question, she took in the sky and saw that it was still dark. "Looks like we still have maybe another hour or so, so we still have time before we have to wake them."

He nodded at her, and sat back down in his place on the battlement. "You can go back to sleep."

She only shook her head. "If I go back to sleep now for such a short amount of time, I'll only wake up feeling grouchy and with a headache, so that's the last thing I need."

As they sat in silence and a thought occurred to her. "Did you even sleep any?"

"Some."

Isa was intrigued. The last thing she remembered is that he was still awake when she drifted off, and he was awake when he woke her, meaning he'd slept even less than he had.

Is it because he's like me and has trouble sleeping sometimes? Or does he not trust me enough to sleep without having someone to watch over his friends in case I try something?

"Levi."

He turned his head to face her, the only indicator that she could continue.

"When you guys first came up into Mitras, what did you think? Isabel seemed in awe of it, so I'm just curious what your perception was?"

"Clean."

She couldn't help but give a little laugh at that. It would seem that he had an intense preoccupation with cleanliness.

"Any other thoughts?"

He shrugged. "The people there have their noses so scrunched up they look like they're constipated."

Isa snorted at the image. "I…never thought of it that way, but that makes perfect sense. I don't think they realize they look like that. I wonder if their expressions would change if they knew."

"Doubt it."

She looked back up at the sky. "I always hated it there," she murmured, "I mean sure, not everyone there is a terrible person. But the way the nobles act, as if they're above everyone else, when they probably commit more crime than even the worst criminals in the Underground. Theirs is just more easily hidden because they have money."

She looked at Levi again, saw that he was carefully watching her. That same electric tingle raced across her skin as their eyes met. "I'm going to say this again. I'm not your enemy. I know you three don't know me, and I don't know you, but I'm not in the habit of treating people differently because of where they come from."

Somehow knowing she wouldn't get a response from him she broke eye contact to watch the stars again, and allowed herself to enjoy the simple quiet of the early morning.

Soon, she saw the sky begin to lighten in the horizon, the indication of a new day soon to come.

"I think we should wake them up now."

"Fine, you take Isabel, I'll wake up Furlan."

Isa walked over to where Isabel was curled up under the blanket on the roof floor. She wasn't really sure how to wake her up. Hange was a pain to wake up in the morning, and you practically had to drag her out of bed. Sometimes Isa would just dump a bucket of cold water onto Hange, which always did the trick, plus it cleaned her up a little, so two birds, one stone.

She knelt beside the girl and gently pushed at her shoulder. "Hey Isabel."

The girl flipped facing away from Isa. "No."

What is it with the excessively energetic people being the most difficult to wake up in the morning? Is this an actual thing?

She gave Isabel another gentle shake. "Come on Isabel, you need to wake…oof."

The kick to Isa's stomach had sent her toppling over onto her rear. She rubbed at her stomach, which she was certain was going to bruise. The girl was stronger than she looked.

She looked up at Levi who was watching her, and she thought she saw something akin to amusement in his eyes. She sent him a glare. "You could help you know."

He rolled his eyes and walked over to where Isabel was stubbornly still trying to sleep. He gave her shoulder a firm nudge with the toe of his boot. "Oi, either wake up now, or you're going to miss the sunrise. I'm not telling you again."

The girl rolled over again groaned. "Levi, why are you so mean?" Her eyes opened, sleep still clouding them. She took in the sight of Isa still on the ground clutching her stomach and gasped. "Did I kick you?"

"…Yea."

Isabel gave a nervous laugh. "Sorry about that. Guess I should've warned you that I'm not a morning person."

Isa just laughed. "It's fine. I'll be better prepared in the future. Hange has the same issue, and sometimes I just dump a bucket of cold water on her to wake her up in the morning."

Isabel's face paled at the thought of that. She shook her head, waving her hands in front of her face. "You don't have to do that. I'll do better."

At this point, Furlan was awake too, much more easily roused than Isabel. Isa giggled as she took in his messy hair, earning herself a mild glare from him.

Turning her head, she saw that the sky was slowly beginning to lighten. "Look, it's starting." She settled back in her spot and smiled when Isabel sat close to her.

Her personality reminds me of Hange. She's so open to others, even though she comes from such a horrible place. I wish I could be more like that.

The air was silent as the four of them watched the sun begin creeping its way over the horizon. The first rays of light cutting through the sky as the yellow orb slowly began to show itself. Instead of the deep purples and pinks of the night before, the sky was now on fire with the golden yellow rays that cut through the deep orange of the morning.

Isa chanced a glance at her companions, and saw they were as mesmerized now as they were the night before.

The face that struck her the most, was Levi's. He wasn't like Isabel, whose eyes and mouth were wide with wonder. Nor was he like Furlan, who had a small, but peaceful smile on his face. No. Levi's face still had that same neutral expression, but his eyes held a quiet hunger that he was clearly trying to hide, and he probably would have been successful, if it wasn't the same type of hunger that she often felt. The hunger for more. More…everything.

Once the sun had fully entered the sky, Isa said goodbye to the trio so she could go and prepare for the day. She quickly showered, and then met up with Hange in the mess hall, grabbing herself a bowl of porridge on the way.

Hange could barely contain her excitement, squirming in her seat. "So! Tell me everything! What are they like?"

"Well you met them yesterday."

"Yea but that was just during dinner. You were out on the roof with them all night!"

Isa rolled her eyes but smiled at her friend's enthusiasm. "Well Isabel is clearly the friendliest and most open. Furlan is…polite I guess would be the word for it. Like he's sizing up the people around him. Levi…he's the hardest to read. He keeps this bored look on his face, but if you watch his eyes, you can see he's always taking in everything around him, reading everything in front of him, ready to act at a moment's notice."

"Not to mention you think he's attractive."

Isa sputtered, choking on the bite of porridge she'd taken. Much to her dismay, she could feel a flush creeping up her face, though she hoped Hange would think it came from her coughing. "I…what…no…Hange don't be ridiculous. Why would you even suggest such a thing?"

Hange regarded Isa with a raised eyebrow. "I think you protest too much."

Isa gave Hange a glare. "I think you're delusional."

"Come on Isa, it was bound to happen that you'd find a guy attractive."

Before she could respond, Sherri walked up to their table, bowl of porridge in hand, cutting into their conversation. "So Isa, haven't done enough? First you take away Lucy, and now Hange?"

"Sherri, how many times do I have to apologize! I tried to save Lucy." Isa didn't know how to make Sherri believe that Lucy's death wasn't her fault when she couldn't even convince herself. "I didn't take away Hange, she came to sit with me. She's my friend too you know! I don't know what you want me to do to fix this."

Sherri sneered at Isa's desperation. "The only thing that you could have done to 'fix this' was to take Lucy's place. Then everything would be fine."

Isa's mouth dropped, a chill settled over her, like it now did around Sherri. Her heart wrenched as if Sherri had just plunged a knife directly into her chest. She looked down, half expecting to see blood pouring from the gaping wound in her chest. Had Sherri just said that she wished Isa had died in place of Lucy?

A menacing look took over Hange's features as she jumped up from her seat. "Sherri! What the fuck is wrong with you? How could you say something like that!" It was rare for Hange to lose her temper, but there were certain things that set her off, and this sort of behavior was unacceptable to Hange.

Sherri blinked at Hange, took in Isa's face and how the hurt was etched into it, and Isa thought she saw shame flash in her eyes.

Before anyone could say or do anything else, Isa jumped up from her seat and bolted out of the mess hall, desperate to get away before the tears fell. She ran through the door just as the trio of new recruits were walking through, and she barely managed to utter an apology when she accidentally bumped into Isabel.

She heard Isabel call out, "Isa are you okay?" But she couldn't answer, if she stopped to answer, she didn't think she'd be able to hold herself back from breaking down.

She raced to the one place where she could find some peace. She didn't pay any attention to the startled looks of the other scouts she passed by, her destination the only thing clear in her mind.

When she burst into Luna's stall, the mare seemed startled, but when she saw Isa's state, a hint of worry could be seen in her eyes.

Isa threw her arms around Luna's neck as hot, silent tears started falling on her face. She could feel the mare's muzzle resting on her back, providing Isa comfort in the only way she knew.

I understand she's furious with me, but to basically say she'd wished I'd died instead of Lucy…should it have been me instead? Did she actually mean that?

Of course she did idiot. Why would she have said that if she didn't mean it?

But…but why would she say something like that?

Idiot, it's obvious. It's your fault she lost her best friend.

…But…she was my friend to.

And look what being your friend did to her.

She didn't know how long she stood there, her body shaking as the silent sobs wracked through her. Luna's presence provided a quiet support she couldn't get anywhere else. In a broken voice she said, "Luna…I don't know what to do. I don't know what to do to fix it."

The mare huffed as if to say, there isn't anything to fix, this wasn't your fault. I was there, you did your best.

She took in a shaky breath. "Hange tells me the same thing, but then why can't I wipe the feeling that it was my fault?"

The sound of someone clearing their throat had Isa whirling to look at the stall door.

There stood Furlan, who looked rather awkward and apologetic at having caught Isa in such a vulnerable moment.

He gave a nervous chuckle. "Sorry, when you didn't show up at the start of training, Flagon sent me to find you. Hange told me I might find you here."

She quickly wiped her cheeks and could only look at him. She didn't know what to say. Not only had Sherri just said she'd wished that Isa had died instead of Lucy, not only had she been caught crying and broken, but she was also now late for training, which she knew would mean laps.

Could this day get any worse?

"Hange also mentioned what happened in the mess hall."

Yep it sure can. Dammit Hange, why?

He continued, unknowingly answering her unasked question. "I'm not sure why, but I guess maybe she wanted me to know since it was me looking for you and not her. She seemed worried."

She looked away, needing to break the eye contact.

She took in a shaky breath, "Thanks for coming to get me. I…I didn't realize how much time had passed. I'll head over to the grounds now."

He nodded. "Flagon also wanted me to let you know to bring your horse. First half of training we're apparently working with them out in the pasture."

She gave him a small smile. "Thanks Furlan."

He turned to walk away, but paused and looked back at Isa over his shoulder. "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent."

She gaped at him. That was a new way to look at things.

"Just…sometimes people need to make themselves feel superior, and to do that, they need to find someone to make feel inferior and small. They only win if we let them."

"I…uh…I never thought of it that way." She didn't know why, but she felt some small piece inside her heal, stitched back together by Furlan's words.

He didn't say anything else, just gave her a small smile, and walked back out of the stables.

She looked at Luna, still a little stunned, but his words were echoing in her. Feeling slightly better, but only slightly, she rubbed the mare's muzzle. "How about we go out to the training grounds?"

The mare threw her head back in agreement, earning a laugh from Isa.

They arrived to where her squad waited in the pasture. Flagon scowled at her as she approached. "You're late."

She saluted her Squad Leader. "Apologies sir, it won't happen again."

"See that it doesn't, twenty laps at the end of the day before dinner."

She nodded.

Flagon addressed the rest of the squad. "Now that we're all here, Derek, introduce yourself to the recruits, seeing as you were on another assignment yesterday."

Isa saw the look Derek gave the trio as he introduced himself, and she noted that it was even worse than the way Sairam and Flagon had looked at them. He looked at them as if they didn't deserve to be there, didn't deserve to be breathing the same air as them, didn't deserve to be in such close proximity to the rest of them.

At least the others on the squad had a begrudging acceptance of their presence. Isa thought the look on his face rivaled the looks she'd seen on the faces of the people in Mitras.

So much for a majority of us not looking down on them...

She hadn't spoken to him since that day, and he'd surprisingly left her alone, though, she did often catch him watching her with that same look that sent chills running up and down her spine.

She only hoped that she wouldn't have to deal with him again and that he'd leave her be.

Flagon's orders for the morning broke her from her observation. "We're going to work with the new recruits and their horses for the first half of the day."

He paired off each recruit with one of the scouts on the squad. Sofia went with Isabel, Sairam with Levi, and Isa was partnered with Furlan.

She led Luna over to where Furlan was standing with his stallion. "Hi again."

He gave her an apologetic smile. "Hi…sorry about earlier."

She shrugged. "It's okay, it is what it is. I appreciate your words though. They…helped a little."

Ironic that a complete stranger's words helped, even if it was only a tiny bit.

Wanting to move on from the morose topic, she asked, "So how much do you know about horses?"

"Not much really. There weren't really any in the Underground."

"Right." She gave a nervous chuckle. "I…uh didn't want to assume."

"I'd say most of the stuff we're doing here, barring ODM and fighting, we're probably not going to know."

"Alright, well that really only leaves horses, so you guys already have a head start. So let's start from the top." In an attempt at humor to ease the slight tension, she stood back to hold her arms out at the animals in front of them. "These are horses." A small grin played at her face, hoping he'd catch on to her humor.

His lips twitched, eyes glinting with subtle mirth. "I'd picked up that much thanks."

His smile helped ease her nerves. "Alright, well this is just my personal opinion, but I believe it's most important to have a bond with your horse." She gave a loving pat to Isa's neck. "Your life will depend on your horse, and I just get the feeling that the stronger your bond with them, the better they listen to you and your commands." Her voice grew soft. "The more you trust them, the more they trust you, and the better off you are outside the walls."

The mare turned her head to Furlan, and nodded as if agreeing with Isa's words.

He took in her words with careful consideration. "So how exactly do you do that?"

"Well, what I did was a bit unconventional. It wasn't something they did with us in training, but I read about it in some of the old books they had in the library. It's this process called 'joining up,' and its focus is on building trust between human and horse. I'll show you."

She grabbed a lunge whip from the equipment Flagon had brought for training, and led Furlan and the two horses over to the nearby pen the scouts rarely used.

She had Furlan tie off his horse's lead onto the fence while she led Luna into the pen. She removed Luna's lead and halter, draping both over the fence behind her. Looking behind her she saw that Furlan had taken a seat on the railing.

She tried to shake off any nerves she had about having an audience while doing this, knowing that it's best to give the horse a calm presence.

She turned to face Luna, who was watching her calmly, waiting for her instruction. Clicking her tongue, she tapped the ground behind Luna with the lunge whip, sending her into a trot around the pen.

Every now and then, Isa tapped the lunge whip out in front of the mare, using her body language and a click of the tongue to get Luna to switch directions. She'd already seen the signs that Luna was ready, inner ear facing her, eyes watching, head low to the ground, but she wanted to give a decent enough demonstration so that Furlan would know what to do.

She loved doing this with Luna. The first time they'd done this, it had taken hours before Luna had given any sign that she was ready to join up. Isa guessed that no one else had tried this with her before, and the mare didn't know what to do with someone actually trying to earn her trust and respect versus just expecting it.

Sure the cadet and scouting horses were bred and trained to listen to their rider, but after Isa read about this process, she'd wanted to try it. She'd wanted to give Luna a reason to trust her, and to bond with her.

She assumed this was why she had such a strong bond with the mare, and how they were so in tune with each other. It could just be that this process was a waste of time and didn't make a difference. Isa didn't really care, it felt right, and she felt like it made a difference, so she'd kept this as part of her regular training with Luna.

After maybe fifteen minutes or so, she stopped her movements, and turned her back to Luna. She could hear the mare stop in her tracks, and sensed that she was now facing Isa. As much as she wanted to sneak a peek at the mare, she refrained, waiting for Luna to come to her.

The gentle sounds of Luna's hooves in the dirt let her know the mare was making her way to her. When she felt the mare's muzzle resting on her shoulder, she turned her head to meet Luna's warm eyes, and raised her hand to gently rub her muzzle.

She moved on to the next part and started walking around the pen with Luna following. She changed directions, speeds, anything to try to catch the mare off guard, but Luna kept up with her, almost as if she could read Isa's mind.

Finally, she came to a stop where Furlan was watching. "So, think you can do this?"

He smirked. "Of course, how hard can it be?"

Knowing the hours she'd put in doing this with Luna, she giggled at his confidence. Sweeping her hand out behind her, she said, "By all means then."

They swapped places, now Furlan and his horse inside the pen, Luna and Isa outside the pen. Isa took a seat where Furlan had been sitting, and watched, ready to give guidance as needed.

Isa watched as Furlan struggled to get the horse moving. He seemed more interested in grazing in the grass than paying attention to Furlan.

"Don't be so tense. He won't listen if you can't relax. But you also need to make sure you're assertive."

She giggled when she heard him grumble, "That is the most contradicting thing I've ever heard."

Eventually, Furlan was able to get the horse moving. "How do I know when he's ready to do the thing?" He called out across the pen to where Isa sat, as he tried to keep the stallion moving at a steady trot around the pen.

"Try not to be so loud when you talk. It helps if you use a calm voice, even when not talking to your horse."

"Talking to them?"

"Yea…trust me, you'll get to the point where you talk to your horse."

"I highly doubt that. It's not like they can answer back."

"You'll see." She shook her head in humor at his resistance. "To answer your question, just pay attention to what he does. Eventually he's going to move his inner ear to face you, showing you he's listening for your instruction. His head will start to move down to the ground, indicating submission. He may also chew or lick at the air. When he starts doing that, keep at it for a little bit, and you'll know when to turn your back."

"Why is it that you do that?"

"It shows that you trust the horse to not hurt you when you're back is turned. A relationship with a horse is built on mutual trust. Now focus, ask questions later."

He rolled his eyes but did as she asked. She tried to give some guidance here and there, making sure he kept his horse moving and changing directions.

As time passed, Isa could tell that Furlan was trying to stay patient, but it was wearing thin. She didn't blame him, it was a lot of moving around, and even though it wasn't quite summer, the sun was high in the sky. It was another hot day, and she could practically see the air wavering in the heat, and she could practically see the promise that the nearing summer would be scorching. She could feel her shirt sticking to her and saw that his was doing the same.

She almost missed when the stallion's ear began to flicker and stay centered on Furlan. "Look, you've got some progress, look at his ear."

That seemed to spark some new determination in the man, wiping away the frustration. She could see the horse's eyes focus on the man guiding him. After maybe ten or so more minutes, the stallion began lowering his head to the ground.

"Did you see that?"

"I did." She could barely contain the excitement in her voice. She didn't want to startle his horse and distract him out of his submissive state, but she was impressed at the progress Furlan had made. "Now keep him going, and when you feel it's time, turn your back to him."

"How will I know?"

"It's hard to explain, you'll just know."

If Furlan was frustrated by the vague explanation, he didn't show it. He kept the horse going, still having him change direction. Isa could tell that he was uncertain, not knowing when he would need to stop, but she was confident that he'd be successful. If she was being honest, it was more about the rider being ready. The horse was ready the moment he started giving the signals. Now it was about Furlan being ready to fully trust the horse. She didn't want to explain that, because it takes away the instinct of feeling ready to trust the horse.

She saw the change in Furlan's body language, he himself relaxed even more, and she knew he was ready before he did.

Isa watched as he stopped and took a look at the horse, and then turned his back to him. She had to admit, she was a bit excited, seeing as to how she would now be able to see this part of the process.

The stallion slowly came to a stop, and looked at Furlan curiously, facing him fully. Slowly, with only the slightest hesitation in his steps, he made his way over to where the man was standing. She actually felt goosebumps run across her skin, at the pure trust the horse now showed as he made his way to Furlan. He rested his muzzle on Furlan's shoulder, earning himself a shaky pat from the man. She gave a shy smile at the sheer wonder that was in his eyes, all the effort long forgotten.

They're so willing to trust, to love. It's easier with horses. As long as you show them respect, they're willing to give you everything. Humans…humans are harder to read. It's harder, because they can hide their true intentions.

She now observed as Furlan began to lead his horse around the pen. It wasn't perfect, but the stallion did well enough following Furlan around as he tried to change directions like Isa had.

He walked over to where Isa sat. She was a bit startled that even sitting on the railing, she still had to look up to meet his eyes.

Hopping up onto the fence beside her, he gave an exasperated sigh. "You made that look a lot easier than it actually is."

"That's because I've been doing this with Luna for the past three years." She quipped. Nudging his arm, she continued, "If it makes you feel better, the first time I did this with Luna, it took me hours to get her to join up with me. So you did manage to surpass the teacher from the start."

That earned her a light-hearted laugh from the man beside her.

"Have you thought about naming him?"

"I actually hadn't thought of it. Is it normal to name them?"

"I think most people don't. It's a choice honestly, but I think by naming Luna, it just made my bond with her stronger."

Hearing her name, the mare gave a gentle huff and rested her head on Isa's shoulder. A serene look came across her face as she reached up to rub Luna's velvety nose. She missed how Furlan's face softened as he took in her peaceful features, completely at ease in the mare's presence.

In a hushed voice, she said, "I fully stand by what I said. I believe that out there, it's important to have a strong bond with your horse. You're going to need them, and they're going to need you. Without that bond, how can you trust each other? But it's ultimately up to you, no one is going to force you to name your horse."

"How about Star?"

"Why that name?"

"I just…really liked looking at the stars last night, being able to finally see the night sky. It was nice. Plus, the marking on his nose reminds me of the way the stars looked."

She beamed at him. "I think that's a perfect name."

She didn't catch the way Furlan's eyes widened ever so slightly nor when he gave a hushed, imperceptible inhale, as he took in her radiant smile.

Hopping down from the fence, she untied Luna's lead. "Alright, well now that we've done that, how about we go over how to tack up your horse and then some basic riding stuff."

Her back was to him, so she didn't notice the calming breath he took before jumping down to join her. "Whatever you say, you're the teacher."

She laughed. "Right you are. Though if the joining up practice is any indication, I'm sure you'll be up to speed in no time."

That earned her a light chuckle from him. She shot him a curious glance. "What is it?"

"'Up to speed.' Meaning both skilled in horseback riding and also going top speeds on a horse."

She blinked at him, and then laughed. "I…well I didn't intend for that to be a joke."

"A sign of a true jokester."

Shaking her head, the four of them made their way over to where the tack was. She walked Furlan through the process of brushing the horse first, and then putting the equipment on. This part was simple enough, since the horse was long accustomed to the feel of everything. She showed him how to walk Star to make sure the girth was tight.

"Why exactly do I need to walk him around?"

"It's to make sure the girth stays tight. When you're tacking up the horse, sometimes their middle expands, and then when it contracts back to normal, the girth loosens. You don't want to be in the middle of riding and fall off because the saddle was loose. It could also roll around when you try to pull yourself up to mount the horse. It's dangerous for both you and Star."

"…There's so much more involved with this than I would have thought."

"It's common. You don't know what's required until you actually have to do it yourself."

When she was satisfied that everything was properly tightened, she told Furlan to mount the horse…and promptly laughed when he ended up on his ass on the other side of the horse.

He sent her a glare. "You could have warned me about that."

"I could have, but I wanted to see if you could do it on your own." She sent him a sly grin. "I also wanted to see if you'd fall on your ass." That earned her a harder glare, but she could see the humor in his eyes. She extended a hand to help him up, and he grabbed it…and yanked her onto the ground beside of him.

Now it was her turn to glare at him as he smirked at her. But her glare didn't last for long as her face turned sheepish. "I guess I deserved that. Alright, we're even now."

She demonstrated how to mount a horse by keeping the toe of your foot in the stirrup, and then propelling your other leg up and over.

"See, if someone my size can do it, without a step of some sort, surely you can."

Not one to back down from a challenge, Furlan quickly made his second attempt to mount the horse. This time he didn't slide off the other side.

"That was better, just try to keep from plopping down on his back. You want it to be gentler, where you sort of settle onto his back, that way you don't hurt him."

Furlan nodded at her instruction, and she moved on to the next part. She walked him through the different cues for walk, trot, canter, and gallop. She explained how to stay balanced for walking and trotting, and how to lean forward and keep the weight off the horse for cantering and galloping.

She had him go through walking and trotting first, so he could get the feel of being on the horse while moving. When she thought he was comfortable enough, she had him move on to a canter, and soon a gallop.

She was impressed at how well he picked up on riding. She herself had struggled a bit at first, especially with galloping, since it requires quite a bit of strength to hold your body off a horse so that you don't bounce on the horse's back. He almost needed no training at all, almost as if he were born to ride a horse.

She looked around to see how the other two were doing and could see that they were doing just as well, and it looked as if Isabel was doing the best. Her horse listened to her as if they'd been riding together for years. She could see that the girl had a way with horses, and it warmed her heart to see the joy and delight in the younger girl's eyes.

These three deserve their shot at freedom.

She was most impressed by Levi. He looked fierce sitting astride the black stallion. One would think that he would have looked strange on such a large animal, his horse was bigger than Luna, who was no small horse. The two looked as if they'd been made for each other.

After they went over the basics, they joined the others, and Furlan had the new recruits run through some new basic drills with their horses.

It wasn't long after that they were dismissed for lunch, instructed to meet at the forest with their ODM gear.

Isa walked Luna with the trio and their horses back to the stables. After they removed the tack and stored it away, she made sure to show them how to rinse off the horse, and to check their legs for any signs of injury like cuts or swelling. She had them make sure their horses had fresh water and hay in their stalls before they left for the mess hall.

Isa could practically feel the younger girl vibrate with the excitement of having ridden a horse. "I never realized how much work goes into learning how to ride a horse. I just kinda thought you hopped on and went."

Isa laughed. "I honestly thought the same before I started training. It's the little things you don't think about, but are just as important for the safety of your horse."

"I don't want anything to happen to Dream."

"Dream?"

"Yea, because all of this feels like a dream, one I never thought would happen."

"I…I know exactly how you feel."

"Why did you name your horse Luna?"

"Well her coloring reminds me of the moon. I came across this book once that had different words for 'moon,' and Luna was one of them. When I was trying to think of a name for her, Luna was practically the first thing to come to mind."

Isabel turned to look at Levi. "Bro, did you name your horse yet?"

"I didn't."

Isa's face fell at his answer. "…Oh. Any reason why?"

"Why should I?"

"Because when you name your horse it helps them bond with you, and you need a strong bond with them when you're outside the walls."

Isa was a little stunned at how well Furlan had remembered what she told him, and that he even said anything to Levi to begin with.

Levi just shrugged his shoulders. "Nothing comes to mind, but maybe something will. If not, it doesn't make a difference to me."

Fair enough, like I told Furlan, most people choose not to name their horse. It's not a requirement.

Isabel's chatter filled the air during the rest of the walk to the mess hall, where the four of them sat with Hange. As they ate, Isa tried to ignore the dark looks that Sherri kept sending her way.

At this point, Isa didn't think they would ever be friends again.