A/N - Warning! This chapter gets a little gory, towards the end.
Wings Of Freedom
Chapter 8
A fire crackled and cast shadows against the walls of the cave, Eren and his friends had taken residence in, the smoke venting through the cave and out into the late evening sky.
Eren knelt by the fire, adding wood to it while his Dragon lay by his side, basking in the heat. They both heard violent coughing and looked up with worry at Armin, laying on the other side of the cave with Mikasa keeping watch over him.
The fall into the ravine had not been without it's consequences. Though Eren and Mikasa were fortunately able to reset the bone in Armin right arm after a few tries and his leg was only fractured a little, Armin still had both limbs in makeshift splints. That wasn't the worst of it though. The poor boy was rapped in several blankets and drenched in sweat as he ran a fever and the flesh around his injured arm turned a little purple with infection.
Eren grimaced as he looked upon his sick friend and felt guilt at his current condition. It had been three days since the fall into the ravine and Armin wasn't showing sign of recovery.
Eren took a deep breath to steel his nerves before he stood up and pulled a pot they had scavenged from an abandoned building, off the fire and walked over to his friends. Once he got there, he saw Mikasa take a wet rag and place it on Armin's head "hey, how's he doing?" Eren asked as he keeled down and Mikasa looked back and though anyone else would have missed it, Eren saw fear hidden in her eyes "he's still out of it. Every now and then he seams lucid but not long" she said as she wiped the sweat off him and placed another rag drenched in cool water on Armin's face.
Eren nodded grimly as he grabbed another bucket and poured the boiling water he had into it "here's some more clean water, just gotta wait for it to cool off" he told Mikasa as he stood back up and the hatchling hopped over and whimpered at Armin and nudged his foot. Eren then walked back towards the fire so he could see past the wall that separated the part of the cave Armin was in from the entrance. Eren looked out at the open fields and clenched his teeth as he listened to Armin's labored breathing. Eren's vision then tunneled as he zeroed in on a small abandoned town, out in the distance.
Eren's face then hardened as he gazed out "hay Mikasa?" he called back "yes Eren?" Mikasa answered from her place by Armin "dad had a friend he worked with out here right? His house should be nearby?" Eren asked and Mikasa looked back at him "yah, I think I remember him mentioning that a few times, but we don't know for sure if this was where he lived" she answered.
Eren stole a glance back at his suffering friend and his frown deepened before looking back out "ether way, we both know Armin won't make it without medicine, and our best chance of finding it is out there" he said and Mikasa looked down at Armin with worry. She wasn't eager to split up or even leave the cave, now that they just got someplace relatively safe. But she knew Armin wouldn't make it at this rate "you're right, but it's a long way off. Are you sure we can make it to the town and back before sunrise?" she asked.
Eren let out a sigh "not "we" Mikasa. Just me" he said and Mikasa quickly turned to face him with worry "Eren you can't go alone!" she said but Eren turned back to face her with a frown "I'm the only one who can Mikasa" he shot back and Mikasa rose to her feet "that's not tru- err" she was interrupted by a grunt of pain and gripped her side "yes it is Mikasa" Eren countered while observing the girls current condition "we may not have been seriously injured like Armin was, but out of the three of us, I'm the least hurt and we can't just leave Armin here all alone" he said then looked back to his sick friend "I can move faster then you can right now, I'm probably the only one who knows what to look for and I'm the only one who can communicate over a distance" he reasoned.
Mikasa grimaced at the cold reality of the situation and she felt a slight chill run up her spine at the mention of him being able to communicate with them. After getting settle a little, Eren had explained what happened when he "spoke" inside her head. Apparently he'd been feeling a strange sort of sixth sense, ever since the egg hatched and he had bonded with his Dragon, and apparently it felt tied to there connection, so when he finally felt his Dragon again as they were climbing out of the ravine, he decided to try calling out with it and accidentally touched Mikasa's mind as well.
Eren had tried exploring his knew ability and discovered that he could "speak" with them, just using his thoughts and could hear theirs' if he focused. It was the last part that creeped Mikasa out and actually scared her a little, given how she really feels towards him. But Eren's experimenting had been cut short by Armin's fever and they had been focused on that since.
Mikasa looked between Eren and Armin with trepidation but eventually gave a sigh of defeat "ok Eren, just be careful" she relented and Eren gave a weak smile as he put a hand on her shoulder "don't worry, I will" he promised, then looked back at his Dragon, who was curled up next to Armin's head "I'll leave her, here with you. If something does go wrong and I can't contact you, then she should be able to tell at least" he told her and Mikasa gave a slight sigh of relief, though she was still nervous about the whole thing.
Eren then looked back out to the town, out in the distance and the Titans wandering around "I'll go ahead and get some supplies together and set out tonight" he said as he got to work.
[Elsewhere]
Roy sighed as he floated up out of a hole in the ground and then cut the flow of magic. He then looked back down the hole, thinking of the underground city he just explored "well that's probably the most depressing place I've ever been" he said as he turned and started walking to the tree line "gotta give them credit though. No other Humans have ever come this close to matching the Dwarves in construction" he added as he thought back on the city and remembered a rather short fellow who tried to steal from him. He had turned out to be a pretty good fighter too but Roy ultimately won that engagement. Roy couldn't help but chuckle though as he recalled the perplexed look on the guy's normally monotone face, when Roy turned around and helped them, in spite of him and his friends attacking Roy.
Roy shook himself free of his musings as he entered the trees and found a large bolder. The bolder then shifted and brought a Draconic head out from under a wing to face the Rider "did you find anything?" the disguised Dragon asked and Roy shook his head "it wasn't down there and there weren't any tunnels that lead out further then the interior wall" he answered.
The dragon sighed and shook her head "We've been here in the capital for days, and we're still no closer to finding the egg or finding a way to expose their corrupt leadership" she said with a small growl of frustration and Roy rubbed his exhausted face as he pondered their dilemma "I know, but on the bright side I think I'm starting to get a handle on their language" he said then let out a yawn.
Thalia narrowed her eyes at Roy "why are you so tired. It shouldn't have taken that much energy for you float out of the hole?" she asked with a suspicions tone. Roy went a little stiff under her gaze then sighed "the people down there aren't allowed to come up to the surface unless they can pay, and they're practically living in poverty down there" he explained and Thalia growled in response, though Roy couldn't tell if it was directed at him or not "you exhausted yourself healing the people down there, didn't you?" she said and Roy nodded "most of them are crippled from the lack of sunlight and that's just one of the many problems they have to deal with" he explained.
The Dragon huffed at Roy "I understand that we can't just abandon these people but finding the egg must be our top priority" she growled a little and Roy frowned at his Dragon in response "I know that Thalia but can you honestly tell me that you wouldn't have done the some thing had you been the one to go down there?" he asked sternly and opened his mind up to his Dragon, letting her experience everything he had down there. Thalia grimaced in response and looked away "no" she answered after a moment's hesitation.
Roy sighed and walked up closer to his Dragon "look I'm not gonna just keep repeating the same thing over and over again. You know what I think about this whole situation" he said and Thalia whimpered a little as her anger gave way to sadness. Roy then placed a hand on the side of her head "Thalia I know it hurts, I mean I'm literally feeling all your pain and anguish, but getting angry isn't going to help anything. We need keep focused" he said.
Roy felt his's Dragon's emotions waring with each other, but she eventually sighed in defeat "well then what do you propose we do? Clearly what we've been trying so far hasn't been working" Thalia asked and Roy hummed in though for a moment "well we can't just keep flying around at random like this. We need a place to set up and plan accordingly. Fortunately it looks like wherever that spell, spat us out this time, is far beyond the traitors reach, so we don't need to keep running anymore. At least for the time being" he said and Thalia nodded in agreement "yes we have finally lost them and I have grown tired of carrying unneeded equipment around" she said as she shifted her weight, but then glanced back at her saddle with a concerned expression "and we must find a save place to keep them until the proper time" she said and Roy nodded in agreement as he followed her gaze.
Roy then looked back towards the wall "I think between the middle and outer walls would probably be a good place to search" he said and Thalia huffed in agreement "yes, I member a few good locations where we could set up" she said and Roy smiled up at his Dragon. But then she scowled at him and came in close "now if we're done here, can you return my scales to their proper color and out of this...atrocious pigment" she practically demanded and Roy smirked "I don't know, I kind of like the new look, maybe add a little dirt brown here and little moss green there" he joked and his hair was blown back by the small but still intimidating roar that Thalia gave him "return my scales to their proper color or I will introduce you to the these new colors you favor so!" she threatened while lifting her paw as if to smash Roy into the dirt.
Roy laughed as he lifted up his hand to her "ok, ok, your wish is my command" he joked before chanting in the Ancient Language and Thalia's scales slowly returned to normal "you do realize you're partially colorblind right? Do you even know what you look like right now?" he quipped and Thalia growled at him "I have seen through your eyes enough times to know that my true appearance is far superior to a simple rock" she snapped back, earning more laughter from her Rider.
Once Roy was finished, Thalia shook as if ridding herself of the earth she had been colored as "much better" she sighed with relief and Roy hopped up on her saddle "alright, the sun will be setting soon. Let's head out and start our search" Roy said and Thalia gave a small roar of agreement before taking to the sky.
[Back With The Others]
Eren sighed as he looked down at the ground, far below "well, this is it" he thought aloud and turned to see Mikasa standing behind him with his Dragon sitting next to her. Mikasa was still frustrated by the whole situation, but she didn't really have much choice at the moment, and so she swallowed her pride as she looked at Eren "just make sure you came back alive" she said and Eren smile at her "I will, I promise" he said as he walked up to her and gave her a quick hug, oblivious to he small bit of red that dusted Mikasa's cheeks.
The two broke apart and they heard a chirp. They both looked down at the hatchling as she hopped up into Eren's arms and looked at him with the biggest and saddest eyes Eren had ever seen, like she was begging him not to leave. Eren gave the hatchling a sympathetic look "I'm sorry, but I have to go" he said but the hatchling just clung to him tightly "hay, everything will be fine. I'll come back and Mikasa will keep an eye on you until then" Eren tried to assure the baby Dragon but she just continued to cling to him.
Eren gave a sad sigh as he carefully pried the hatchling loose and handed her to Mikasa, who held onto her "I'll be back by sunrise, I promise" Eren said as he hefted his pack over his shoulder and backed up to the mouth of the cave. Eren felt a ping of guilt as the hatchling called after him but forced it down "wish me luck" he called back before starting his climb down "good luck" Mikasa said, after he was out of view. She then looked down at the hatchling as it whimpered and stared out the cave. Mikasa gave the hatchling a sympathetic look as she turned around and started walking back to where Armin was "come on" she told the hatchling as it looked over Mikasa's shoulder and out the cave, whimpering as they went.
Meanwhile, Eren continued to climb down. It was actually pretty easy, now that he didn't have to help carry someone else and he now knew the easiest way down, walking along narrow pathways and only occasionally having to actually climb.
It was still torture though. Not the climb it's self but leaving his Dragon. He had grown impossibly attached to her and making matters worse, the little reptile had dug her mental claws into his mind and she was desperately clinging to him as he got further and further away.
Once Eren reached the bottom, it took all of his willpower not to turn back as the hatchling's mental claws, raked against his psyche until, after a long walk, he left her range and she was gone from his mind.
Eren heard his Dragon call out, as soon as they lost contact and he paused for a moment but didn't look back, he didn't trust himself not to turn around. Instead Eren took a deep breath and thought of Armin as he resumed his walk.
Eren rubbed the silver mark on his hand as he walked, his mind wondering back to his friends. He couldn't feel much, but he could tell that his Dragon had finally calmed down a little, but her mind was just so faint in his. Eren never new that he could miss having someone else in his head, so much. Eren shook his head free on his worry though. He needed to focus or Armin might die.
Eren was now walking down a dirt road, a significant improvement over walking through the open fields and crossing over rivers as he'd been doing so far. The town then came into sight "there it is" Eren said with relief as he picked up the pace and started jogging to the town.
Eren entered the town but froze as the smell hit him. The smell of death and decay. It was nearly unbearable but Eren shook himself out of it and pulled his shirt up to cover his nose as he walked in, if a little unsteady. Eren looked around at the smashed buildings and the blood and memories of his home town, flashed through his mind is this what it's like back home now? he thought as he walked. Eren then turned a corner and froze yet again and had to resist the urge to vomit. Before him, being picked apart by birds, lay a pile of bodies, all chomped up by the teeth of a Titan, burned by some kind of acid and held together by some kind of membrane like substance, as if the Titan that ate them had decided to just stop and upchuck them.
Eren stood still as a statue for a long moment, then his cheeks puffed out as if he were about to vomit and he ran into another street, where the pile of bodies was out of sight and he hunched over as he tried to keep his lunch down.
Eren managed to keep from vomiting but he still stood there, breathing heavily. He then looked back towards the road where the bodies were did mom end up like that? he thought as tears built in his eyes, but then a fire grew in them as he clinched his fists and gritted his teeth I swear I'll make them pay for this. I'll wipe them all out one day! he thought with fury and turned to face the road ahead of him again. Eren then took a breath as he tried to calm down a little and focus but the small hit him again I need to find what I'm looking for and fast, or else I'll get sick too he though as he pulled his shirt back up to cover his nose again and continued on.
Eren explored the town and found some useful supplies but still no medicine. He hadn't seen anything that remotely looked like a doctors yet and Eren looked up to the sky with worry, he was running out of time.
Eren sighed into the bandanna he'd found and tied around his face so he wouldn't have to use his shirt anymore "come on, where is it" he thought aloud as he walked, he had been nearly everywhere in town except one street.
Eren stopped as he realized this and looked down for a moment as he thought it over. He was really hoping it wasn't there, but he didn't have a choice, he wouldn't let Armin die, and so he backtracked.
Eren reached the street with the bodies and braced himself before turning the corner "son of a bitch" he cursed as he saw the very place he was looking for, literally right next to the pile of bodies.
Eren clenched and unclenched his fists, several times as he processed what he had to do "shit" he cursed again and paced a few times, then faced the pile again and searched for another entrance but didn't find so much as an exposed window and he knew there wasn't a way in on the other side. Eren then gave a defeated sigh "damn it, this is gonna suck" he moaned as he began walking up to the bodies. As he drew closer, Eren held his breath and hugged the wall as he moved around the bodies. Eren froze momentarily as the pile shifted and some of It nearly touched him, but after a moment when nothing happened, Eren continued on. Eren then reached the door and he was still wedged between the pile and the wall.
Eren whined a little as his lungs protested their continued lack of air, but Eren powered through it as he grabbed the door and pushed.
It didn't open.
Eren groaned as he pushed some more but it wouldn't budge come on, are you kidding me?! Eren though as he pushed some more. When it still refused to move, Eren decided to try pulling it and it opened, but there was still one problem.
He and the door were still wedged between the bodies and the wall. Eren couldn't hold his breath much longer though, so he forced the door open and quickly ducked in before the pile collapsed, shutting the door behind him and holding it shut.
Eren scrambled away from the door and gasped for air. It was still tainted but better then it would have been outside. Eren looked back at the door with all the bodies holding it shut "defiantly not going back out that way" he muttered between breaths before standing up strait. Eren then looked around the room and found everything he'd expect to find in a doctor's place of business. All things he was, a least indirectly, familiar with, thanks to his father.
Eren scanned the room "alright, where would dad keep his medical supplies?" he thought aloud as he moved to one of the cabinets and after several tries and a few minuets of searching, Eren found what he was looking for "ah ha! found it!" he said with relief as he grabbed as much as he could, in addition to other supplies they might need and some books on medicine.
Eren then ran upstairs and into the attic, where he found a small window. He opened it and gaged "of course you're right above the front door" he complained with a strained voice as he looked away in a attempt to find some cleaner air and took a breath before climbing out.
Eren climbed up onto the roof and got as far away from the smell as he could. He then looked to the sky and sighed with relief I still have time to get back he thought and began walking along the roof.
Eren came to a stop at the edge and looked down. It was too far, for a kid like him to jump without braking something, but there was another roof, a little lower on the other side. Eren eyed it as he tried to gauge if it was too far to jump or not, but with a glance back to the sky, he realized that he didn't have time and so Eren backed up a little and crouched down as he got ready "please let this work" he prayed.
Eren then ran forward and jumped.
Eren hit the side of the house, just falling short, but he managed to grab the edge "oh shit" he cursed breathlessly and with adrenaline pumping through his system before he started pulling himself up, but just as he pulled his chest over the edge, the roof tiles gave way "SHIIIIT!" Eren yelled as he fell but thankfully hit a cloth terrace, ripping though it before hitting the cold, hard ground.
Eren laid there for a moment and groaned in pain "I am so tired of falling off ledges" he groaned before forcing himself up. Eren then patted himself down and fortunately nothing was broken. But then Eren's eyes widened with worry and he checked his pack and sighed with relief that the medicine was undamaged "I am so glad I padded that with the clothe and stuff I grabbed" Eren said before slinging his pack, back over his shoulder and began limping out of town, but he quickly picked up the pace as he went and the night drew closer to ending.
[Back At The Cave]
Mikasa sat next to Armin, attending to him as best she could. Mikasa was beginning to worry though. Eren hadn't come back yet and Mikasa was getting restless as she waited.
Mikasa sighed and walked out of the little chamber of the cave and looked to the entrance. Eren's Dragon was laying there, whimpering as she stared out. The little reptile had been a handful at first, trying to go out and fallow Eren, and then pacing everywhere, and then acting up a few times like she was scared, which really worried Mikasa. But she had finally calmed down again and was waiting impatiently for Eren to return.
Mikasa sighed as she walked over and sat down next to the Dragon and started stroking it's back. The Dragon let out a tense sigh in response and leaned against Mikasa, setting her chin up in the girl's lap but still starring out.
Mikasa managed a small smile at the hatchling, the little reptile was just as attached to Eren as she was. The smile vanished though, as she looked out and the sky started to get color back to it "come on Eren, where are you" she muttered under her breath as she looked out with worry.
The hatchling's head then shot up, her eyes dilated and devoid of anxiety. The hatchling then jumped up and pranced around and Mikasa felt relief wash over her as she looked down "Eren!" she called out as she saw him running towards the cave and the Dragon called out to. Mikasa then felt Eren's mind, brush against her's like it had before "hay guys, I found it" he told them and Mikasa smiled. It was still weird hearing Eren's voice in her head, but she was glad to hear it.
The hatchling started hopping around and Mikasa had to hold her back from jumping out as Eren climbed up. Then Eren climbed over the edge, just as the sun was starting to crest Wall Maria and the hatchling jumped at him and rapped around his neck, purring like there was no tomorrow. Eren laughed a little "I missed you too" he said, but the hatchling gave no indication she was going to move willingly. Mikasa then walked up to Eren and hugged him too but Eren grunted a little, causing the hatchling to perk up and sniff at Eren's bruises, then fold her ears back and whimper a little.
Mikasa noticed and looked Eren over with worry "Eren, are you ok? what happened?" she asked quickly and Eren waved his hands in a playacting manner "I'm alright Mikasa, just had a bit of a fall" he played it off but Mikasa continued to look at him with worry "look, it's nothing major and we need to take care of Armin" Eren said seriously as he pulled off his pack and Mikasa's eyes widened as she remembered their sick friend. She then grabbed the pack and ran back to Armin, with Eren right behind her, the hatchling having moved so he could run with her on his shoulders.
Mikasa and Eren quickly went through the pack and pulled everything out. They set everything up, cleaned and sterilized everything and skimmed through one of the books Eren brought back, just to make sure they were doing everything right and then they gave Armin the medicine "now we wait" Eren said as they sat by Armin's side and Eren felt he fatigue catching up with him.
Mikasa noticed Eren's condition "get some rest. I'll let you know if anything changes" she said and Eren hesitated for a moment but ultimately relented before going to lay down and rest, with his Dragon curled up on his chest hang in there Armin he though as he gave one last look to his friend before giving in to the sweet embrace of sleep.
A/N - Is the world really cruel, or is it the author.
Seriously, I am torturing these guys WAY more then I originally intended to. What does that say about me?
On a lighter note, I have some news and a few questions.
The news is that I finally have "short of" an update scheduled. Between Tuesday and Friday will be the days when I'll usually update. This does not mean I will post every time though, it's just when it will most likely happen when I do.
Now the questions.
Question 1 : What would you like to be the name of Eren's Dragon.
I've been using the fact that Dragons pick their own names to stall for the fact that I haven't decided on one yet but I'm afraid that I can't wait any longer. I do have one to fall back on if necessary but I'd like to know what you guys think. I'll put a poll up with some options and will except wright ins. German would be preferable, since that's the language they most likely speak in the walls.
Question 2 : Would you like me to start posting more then just one story.
I initially said that I will only focus on one story at a time but I have an embarrassingly large excess of them on the back burner, so I want to know what you guys think. I'll put a poll up for this one as well.
Question 3 : Did anyone notice the Skyrim reference I made back in chapter 1.
Well that's all from me. Thanks for reading my story so far and merry Christmas.