848, Some time after Winter Training

"This sucks!" Connie groaned in the back.

"I swear 'How alert we were in peacetime'?" Alto groaned, "What kind of excuse is that for an exercise like this?"

"Maybe the instructor has something set up, or he planned an ambush with the other instructors."

"I doubt it." Connie stretched in the back.

"You guys better slow down! It's better not to gallop all the way." Marco said

"True." Alto pulled back on the reins, slowing his horse down.

"You'll look like an idiot if you rush ahead and your horse gives out halfway through! Let's take it nice and slow." Jean said.

"Well I don't know how to hold back! Jean if you're going to ride at a snails pace I'm going ahead." Eren said, beginning to ride ahead.

"Wait! Eren we need to do this as a group." Marco said, "Jean what should we do?"

"Like hell I care. Not like this counts for much against our final grade."

"You don't know that! Anyway, for now lets focus on the exercise." Marco said.

"Not gonna happen." Jean yawned,

"Hey! It's far too early to give up!" Armin said.

Alto had pretty much checked out, he let the grumbles and complaints of his squadmates drone in his ears as his slowly began to drowse off in his horse.

Alto woke up to the sound of swords clanging, drool came out of one side of this mouth. "Wuzzuh?" He blinked blearily.

"This isn't a game!" Eren yelled at Jean.

"An exercise without an instructor isn't gonna earn you brownie points you suicidal maniac!" Jean retorted.

'Oh god... they're at it again.' Alto yawned.

"Oh you're finally awake!" Historia rode up beside him. "We didn't actually notice until we stopped, your horse just kind of followed the rest of us."

"Hey! You two stop!" Marco got off his horse and walked to Eren and Jean

Jean scoffed, "You're one to talk!"

"Jean! Just grin and bear it! Think about it! We'll have to report all this to Shadis if we end up late! Armin don't record anything yet!"

"R-right."

"Just put down Jean Kirstein was obstructed by Eren Jaeger while hunting for food!"

"The hell you'd just say?!" Eren exclaimed indignantly.

Then, in one of the most random acts on earth, Sasha blurted, "They're very tasty!"

'What the actual fuck?' Alto looked at the girl in bewilderment, Marco sighed.

"Lets go." Marco sighed. Eren and Jean rode apart, but not without glaring at eachother.

"We could've fed the entire group with a lizard that size..." Sasha said thoughtfully.

Some time later..

"Daz. Are you sure?" Mikasa asked him.

"Yeah. I set them all down right here and then when I came back they were gone!"

Annie nodded to a small fire, "Whoever was here was long gone." She said

"I saw another over there, that tells us their numbers." Mikasa said.

"Over here! Wagon tracks!" Bertoldt called to them

"We weren't given any info about people living here..." Mikasa noted.

"Must be bandits." Reiner said, "I've heard stories, gangs of them stealing miltary equipment. 3D Manuever Gears fetch a high price on the black market."

"Are you saying we were targetted?" Thomas asked,

"If they'd seen us, they might've attacked."

"Or they predicted our path, and were waiting until the cover of the forest to jack our ODM and leave."

"Don't you think it's better to call off the exercise and return to base?"

"No, we're close to our objective, lets complete the mission and inform Marco's group."

Marco's Group

"Ugh! These rations are so bland!" Connie complained "We should've just caught that lizard..."

"Forget it. Lizards are stupid." Jean says,

"You're the one who chased it." Eren says.

Jean stops as he's about to eat a ration. "It's more sensible than chasing Titans."

'Oh shit.' Alto stopped eating. And everyone went quiet.

"And what's that supposed to mean?! Why'd you join the Trainee Corps smart-ass!" Eren retorted, standin.

"I'll tell you this much: It wasn't to throw my life away!" Jean stood up,

"What did you just say horseface?! They're some topics that are just off limits!" Eren yelled at him. Armin began to write, but was stopped by Marco.

"J-just leave it Armin. It's only a light dinner conversation."

"Heh. Did seeing the Titans in person turn you into a try-hard for these stupid exercises."

"Alright Jean, that's enough." Alto stood up.

"Stay out of this Christopher!" Eren said, but Alto kept walking

"You know, you're nearly as bad as him. You think you're 'all that' just because you killed a barely grown bear. Whoopie-fucking do. I really hope you don't expect me to bow down before you." Jean said sarcastically. "What's your stick up your ass, did your mom die or something?"

In a flash Alto grabbed Jean by his collar, "Horseface. You are messing with things that aren't meant to be messed with."

"Stop it!" Historia shouted

"H-hey let's catch another lizard you guys!" Sasha suggested.

"Aw. So got family issues. What did your mom get eaten like suicidal maniac over there?" Jean said mockingly. Alto was having none of it, tossing Jean to the floor, he punched him in the face.

"TAKE THAT BACK BEFORE I MAKE YOUR FACE MORE FUCKED UP THAN IT ALREADY IS!" Alto shouted at him.

"Y-you wish!" Jean said, trying to keep up a facade of strength. Alto was about to lay waste to his face when Marco grabbed him.

"H-hey! I think he gets it!" Marco said, Alto lowered his fist, and got off Jean.

"Heh. Asshole." Jean muttered, Alto whirled around, and kicked him in the gut.

Historia noticed that in the shadows, a figure moved.

"Hey guys!"

"FUCKING ASSHOLE!" Alto charged Jean, grabbing his shirt.

"Hey guys!" Marco tried to break them up, as Sasha kept telling them to come with her on a lizard hunt. Historia nervously glanced toward the forest again before sighing.

Later in the night

Everyone was soundly sleeping.

Everyone aside from Alto that is.

Alto skipped a rock across the nearby pond. 'Damn horseface...' He blocked his mind off, he didn't want to talk to the others right now. His family might be back, but never being able to see them in person again... the wound still hurt.

"Hey there." Historia came up behind him. "You okay."

"No." Alto said

"You... you can talk to me." Historia said.

Alto sighed, "It just... it still hurts. You know?"

Historia nodded, hugging him. Alto gently touched her hand.

Rustle. Rustle.

Alto heard rustling, and felt something was off. "Historia."

"I know. I saw something earlier." They looked around but saw nothing.

"Animals?" Historia asked hopefully.

"That appear more than once? No predator stalks a group of humans for this long and doesn't attack." Alto said, suddenly Historia shrieked and pointed behind Alto.

Alto whirled around and ducked just as a musket swung for his head. Immediately three more masked attackers armed with muskets. Alto was grabbed one's arm, and threw him aside, only to get tripped by another. The first one grabbed Historia, who struggled, but wasn't strong enough. Alto was soon swarmed by the remaining three.

"Damn brat." One clubbed him in the side of the face, bruising his jaw as the other two held him. In the distance Alto heard a gunshot.

Alto looked in the direction of the shot 'Shit! Everyone else is that way!'

"Hah! One of your friends must've made a dumb move." As soon as he said that. Another one of his accomplices came out of the forrest.

"Job's done. We got their Gears." he said,

"Good. We'll this girl as a hostage." One of them tied Historia's hands, and gruffly took her away. Alto struggled, but was instead bound by the legs and thrown against a tree.

"And stay there!" They quickly left.

'Damn it!' He said, slamming his bound hands against the ground.

'Why... why the hell am I not strong enough?!' Alto said

"Alto." His sister's voice cut through his thoughts.

"What do you want..." Alto asked,

"Listen. None of this was your fault. This was an ambush. You were upset about what Jean said."

"Still! I should've been able to... do more!" Alto told her

"Sometimes we say that without realizing there was nothing more we could do. You need to go back to Shadis and-"

"No. I refuse." Alto said

"Alto-"

"I lost everything 4 years ago. I may have some of it back, but the pain is still there."

"Please listen-"

"I'm going to fight."

"Alto you're"

"I. Will. Fight!" His binds began to smoke and eventually caught flame, turning into ash.

'I'll fight because... no matter what anyone else says... I'm not done yet!"