The Wings Of Our Dreams


6 Thawing An Icy Leonhart


AN: Hello there, my dear readers! Here's another chapter of The Wings Of Our Dreams. I hope you enjoy!


Year 849

Fortieth Entry

Well, we are currently in our last year at boot camp. Man, time sure does fly. A lot has happened but looking back it sure seems like barely any time passed. Damn, I honestly wish I had more time to spend with my friends before we are all brought in the jaws of death, but I'll take what I can get.

When the year is over I'll be going to join the Scout Regiment, and begin venturing outside the walls. We'll have to reclaim Wall Maria before I can properly return to Karno again. Not an easy task by any means, but I'll give it my all and be as patient as I can be.

I'm going home no matter what.


It happened again. Collin once again found himself back at the time of the incident. Once again his ears were filled with panicked screams of people around him, the distant rumbling, the thundering footsteps, and the warmth of his mother's hand holding unto his.

Once again he found himself running away with his parents, feeling the desperation he never felt before as their feet moved as fast as they could.

The crashing sound came behind them as the family of three turned to see a huge boulder hurling toward them, and they are completely frozen in place from fear. The very next second, the boulder struck.

Collin woke up with a huge gasp of breath and eyes wide. Dear God, it didn't matter how many times he dreamed it he never woke up any better from it. Still lying down, he wiped his brow with his hand and let out several calming breaths.

Then he heard some groaning from below. Looking down, he saw that his foot was pushing against Reiner's cheek, with the blonde teen looking pretty discomforted.

"No offense… Collin, but… could you please…" Reiner said before Collin moved his foot away. Reiner then got into a sitting position as he rubbed his cheek. "Man, this is like the third time this week. You really seem to be having some bad dreams."

Collin sighed before getting seated. "Yeah, well, it's nothin' to-"

Suddenly two legs dropped on Collin's head, interrupting him. Collin then let out an annoyed grumbled knowing full well to whom they belonged to. "Damn it, Bertholdt," Collin said before getting the legs off of him.

The tall teen only had a calm expression as he slept, which was strange considering the positioning of his legs and how his head seemed to bear most of his body weight.

"Man, it's gettin' really cramped here," Collin commented.

Reiner shrugged amusingly. "Well, I guess it's no surprise since we're one of the tallest cadets. We didn't really think ahead, did we?"

Collin smiled. "No, I s'pose not. Say, why don't we have Bert sleep on the floor? I don't think he'll notice." That prompted the two of them to chuckle. "But seriously, who'd have thought that out of three of us, Bertholdt would be the heavy sleeper."

"Who knows? One of the greatest mysteries of the universe," Reiner said. His smile then dropped, his eyes focused as he crossed his arms. "Collin, tell me. What was it you were dreaming about? I don't think I ever saw you so disturbed."

Collin sat silently, his eyes looking into Reiner's own, the silver shine in them intensifying for a moment. What should he say? Should he just fess up and tell him? Was it really that big a deal?

"I… well… eh, it's nothin'. Don't worry about it," Collin said dismissively.

However, Reiner's gaze was unwavering as he continued to have his stern expression. "Look, we're friends. You can tell me. What's got you so worked up?"

Collin stared for a few moments before looking away and nodding. "Fine. You see, I had this nightmare several times already over the past two years. I'm back at Shiganshina when the breach happened."

"So you're reliving those events?" Reiner asked.

"Well, yes and no," Collin said before elaborating after seeing Reiner's confusion. "Most of it stays the same. We're past the inner gate, me, my ma, and my pa are runnin' away from the upcomin' disaster. I remember holdin' my ma's hand as we run. The gates are then destroyed, the boulder that the Armored Titan threw is comin' at us, but…" Collin's fist clenches as he gains a downcast look. "Unlike what happened, my pa doesn't push me to safety… and I die with them."

They were silent after Collin said that. Reiner watched Collin with his mouth slightly open while Collin just stared down, his eyes losing the shine they had before.

Reiner wasn't sure what to say. Collin was the one who had the bright personality, the confidence that motivated others or had some way to make other people smile or laugh, so seeing him look so down felt… wrong.

"Maybe… maybe that was a premonition of sorts," Collin said. "Like it's sayin' that no matter what I do, I'll end up dead just like my parents. That it all doesn't-"

"Stop it!" Reiner interrupted. Collin was caught off guard by Reiner's tone and looked at him curiously. Reiner continued. "Look, you just want that your parents had lived, and you're feeling guilty that you survived and they didn't."

"Well… yeah, but…"

Reiner's face softened as he gave a comforting hand on Collin's shoulder. "It's normal to feel that way. Trust me, I felt guilty for being alive when others weren't, but that kind of thinking won't get you anywhere. It's unfortunate, yes, but you need to keep moving forward. Don't wallow in your sorrow, and be happy that you had a chance to experience more of your life."

Collin stared at his friend for a few moments before smiling. "Thanks, Reiner. I needed that," he said before giving a slight inhale through his nose and exhale through the mouth. "You know, it's no wonder people 'round here see you as a big brother."

Reiner grinned. "If that's the case then you're the more fun brother that usually gets into trouble."

Collin then gave Reiner a playful jab on the arm. "Hey!"

"Come on, tell me I'm wrong."

"Well that's… It's not like… Ah, damn it," Collin said. "I don't get into trouble that often. The only major thing was that time with Shadis."

Reiner's index finger and thumb held his chin. "Well there was that time where you got Eren, Jean, and Armin to hang out with you past curfew because, and I quote 'I can't sleep, and I'm bored', then there was the time you picked a fight with four other cadets, and there was also-"

"Okay, I get it!" Collin exclaimed. "But the second was totally justified. Those guys were bein' assholes to another cadet!"

"You could have just reported them."

"No, they wouldn't have learned the lesson. A few bruises go a long way."

"And so does being an exemplary cadet."

"Damn, I knew you were a good soldier, but I never figured ya for a boy scout."

The two laughed again.

"Okay, thanks. That really brightened my mood," Collin said.

Reiner nodded. "Glad I could help."

"Say, there's one thing that's been buggin' me," Collin said getting a raised eyebrow from Reiner. "You never actually told me what your hometown is called, just that it was southeast of Wall Maria. So tell, what's its name. I'd like to give you a visit once we retake the wall."

Reiner blinked several times. "Oh, the name. Well, it's…" There was a pause in his speech as he looked away. He seemed… confused would be the best way for Collin to put it. And… regretful? "I… it's…" Reiner then rubbed his head. "Sorry, Collin. But the name escapes me for some reason at the moment. I don't know why."

"Oh, I… see," Collin said. It looked like Reiner was also troubled by his experience. "It's alright, I understand. I won't force ya to tell me."

Reiner sighed. "Thanks. Now, let's get back to sleep. No need to wake up too early," he said before lying down again.

"Right," Collin said before lying back as well and closing his eyes, letting the hopefully more happy dreamland take him.


Once again it came time for physical training in hand-to-hand, and once again some cadets protested but went ignored.

It was mid-morning as the cadets found themselves on the rocky training area, and began practicing their moves and takedowns.

Collin actually found a partner in Sasha, who actually came to ask him, much to Collin's surprise. So Collin ended up showing Sasha some of his moves, which the Potato Girl was eager to learn. Almost too eager.

Collin and Sasha found themselves in a position where Collin was behind her, his arms beneath her armpits and his hands clasped on her nape to finish the hold, while her back was pressed against his chest.

"Sasha, I showed you that maneuver ten times already," Collin said. "I think ya got the basics."

Sasha turned to him with a bit awkward smile and rosy cheeks. "Well, you know, just to be sure I got it."

With a sigh, Collin let Sasha go. "Yeah, well, I think you better start practicin' it. You won't learn anythin' if only I get a hold of you."

'Oh, I'd disagree,' Sasha thought as she inwardly grinned. "So, shall I practice the move on you?"

"Yeah, about that, considerin' the physical difference between us, the move ain't gonna be the most effective against me. We better find someone closer to your physical caliber," Collin explained getting a disappointed look from Sasha. "Go to Thomas over there. He'd be a better sparring partner for this."

"Ugh, fine," Sasha said dejectedly before walking away. "But I'll still come for more practice!"

"Good to hear!" Collin said. Looking around for a bit, he saw that Reiner and Eren approached Annie.

Reiner then said something which made Annie give him a cold stare that would make your blood freeze before pushing Eren in front of Annie, much to the younger teen's confusion and shock.

Annie and Eren got into fighting positions, and while Eren charged, a swift kick to Eren's leg got him off balance and he found himself on the floor.

Reiner found some amusement in the display before Annie told him something which got him a bit nervous before he also got into a fighting stance and charged at Annie. He was on the ground the very next second.

Giving an amused laugh, Collin walked over just as Annie was about to leave. "Well, you three seem to be havin' fun."

Still on his back, Reiner groaned. "Yeah, laugh it up. I doubt you'd do any better."

"Hmm, maybe," Collin said before turning to Annie. "What do ya say? Why don't you and I go for a round?"

Annie turned away. "Sorry, but I'm not in the mood to throw around any more muscle heads."

And with that, she left.

Eren helped Reiner rise. "Sorry, Collin, but Annie really is something else," Eren said.

"Yeah, me and Eren know from experience even you couldn't beat her," Reiner said as he dusted himself.

"Is that a fact now?" Collin said as he looked at the slowly retreating form of Annie. A grin then formed on his face before he walked towards her.

Reiner's eyes then widened. "Oh, no. Oh, no, no, no," he said.

Eren looked confused. "What's going on?"

Reiner grumbled. "He always has that grin before he's about to do something reckless," Reiner explained before hurrying over to Collin and grabbing him by the arm. "Look, I don't know what you're planning, but whatever it is, just don't do it."

Collin just looked back with a grin. "Oh, come on. I'll be just fine."

"Collin, you'll be dead," Reiner insisted.

Collin just pulled his arm out of Reiner's grasp. "I know what I'm doin'. Trust me," he said before approaching Annie again.

Reiner gritted his teeth as he watched his friend walk away. True, Collin does usually get out of nasty situations he finds himself in, but this was Annie Leonhart they were talking about. In this case, Reiner wasn't sure.

As Collin closed the distance between him and the blonde woman, he brought his hand up and extended his index finger and thumb, the grin not leaving his face.

Annie then noticed Collin approaching her and gave a sigh. "Look, as I said, I'm not in the- AHHH!" Annie's eyes widened as she gave a loud yelp.

Reiner and Eren, who watched the events unfold, had their eyes almost as big as saucers and their lower jaws just about ready to drop on the floor.

"Did… did Collin just…?" Eren tried speaking but was too shocked to continue.

"Yeah. Yeah, he did," Reiner said, his voice somewhat strained. 'What the hell, Collin?!'

The reason why the two were shocked… Collin Holt just pinched Annie Leonhart right on the ass.

Annie slowly turned her head, whatever deadly glare she had before was absolutely dwarfed by the one she had now. Her eyes were narrowed, her pupils shaking and teeth clenched as she looked at Collin's grinning face. If looks could kill, Collin would be dead thousand times over.

Collin then put his fists in front of him and put his leg forward. "So, are you in a mood to throw around some more muscle heads?"

Annie actually let out a low growl as she made a sharp turn and dashed at him. Collin went for a jab like he did in their last encounter, and she responded similarly by ducking and then kicking at his leg. However, this time he moved his leg out of the way before going for a punch with his other fist.

But yet again, Annie moved swiftly and brought her forearms up right on his arm, moving it out of the way. She then brought her leg up and gave a fierce knee strike on Collin's abdomen, making him grunt and double over. Annie then used her elbow to strike him right on the face.

Annie's attack had enough force to move him back hard enough to the point he lost his balance and found himself with his back against the ground. Not satisfied with just that, Annie then stepped right over him before putting a knee on his chest.

Annie, her face still riddled with rage, began punching Collin right on the face, making his head move from side to side. "Are you satisfied yet?!" Annie asked as she continued hitting him.

Then both of her arms were suddenly grabbed by Collin, making her gasp and looked at his face, which just continued smirking. "That all ya got?" he asked. But before the shocked girl could give any proper response, Collin then threw her back. Soon after, Collin's legs soon wrapped around in front of her, the booted feet crossing against her neck before they pushed her to the ground. Collin then grabbed her legs and pressed them against him, making them immobile before rolling both himself and Annie until they lay on their sides.

"Got ya," Collin said before bending his legs, forcing Annie to yelp in pain as her back was moving backward.

Annie tried grasping Collin's legs that were crossed in front of her neck and pry them off, but it yielded no such effect. She tried slamming her fists into them but Collin responded by bending his legs even further, making Annie shut her eyes tight from the pain.

"Sorry, shortcake," Collin said as he continued keeping his hold firm. "But there ain't no way you're gettin' out of this one." He could feel her struggling beneath him, but this was a test of strength, and while she was skilled, compared to him she really lacked it. "You better surrender. C'mon, Annie, be smart."

After letting out several pained grunts and opening a single eye she finally responded. "Alright, f-fine… I sur… surrender."

And just like that, all the pressure from Collin's hold was suddenly lifted as he moved his legs away and released her legs. Annie then found herself on her hands and knees as she began heavily breathing while rubbing her throat. Dear God, that move caught her completely off guard.

"So," Collin's voice got her out of her stupor as she saw him sitting with the same grin. "How'd ya like that one?"

"So you pinched me… just so you could… try that move against me?" Annie asked between breaths.

"Well, I couldn't beat you normally, so I had to get creative," Collin said as he got up. "And it looks like it paid off."

"Right," Annie said annoyed as she got to her feet. "Do you want to go again? I'd like to see you pull off that stunt twice."

Collin waved dismissively. "Nah, I'm good. And sorry about the pinch, I needed something to rile you up a bit, and it worked."

"Well, don't you know how to get a girl's attention," Annie said in a sarcastic tone.

"I know. I'm the best, ain't I?" he said, a wide grin on his face.

"And still humble, too."

Collin groaned. "It's a joke, for god's sakes! Seriously, you need a better sense of humor than your sarcasm."

"Oh, really? Does nature say I need that, too?" she asked.

"Not really, but I'm pretty sure it's tempted to," Collin said.

Annie actually couldn't help but look amused before shrugging. "Whatever you say," she said before turning away. Then she turned back with a warning glare. "I swear if you try to-"

Collin brought both of his hands up defensively. "It was a one-time deal. Promise."

"It better be," she said before walking away.

Collin chuckled to himself. 'Man, I think I'm startin' to like her. She's really somethin'. My pa would definitely like her.'

He then walked back to Eren and Reiner who looked flabbergasted at what transpired.

"Collin, I swear, you're crazy," Reiner said.

"Maybe. Maybe all of us are a little crazy," Collin said.

Reiner palmed his face. "Please, don't start with some pseudo-philosophical bullshit. I'm surprised Annie doesn't hate your guts after this."

"Which further proves just how much you don't know about people."

"Um, guys," Eren said. "I think we should resume training. We don't want Shadis on us."

"Oh, right," Collin said as he saw that Shadis was holding Connie up by his head. "I'd better check up on Sasha. See ya later."


Dinner time came to an end, and cadets were ready to get to their barracks. And one of those cadets, the one Annie Leonhart, went through today's events in her head.

How during training she was confronted by Eren and Reiner, then knocking them both on their asses. Then how Collin came and his… unique way of getting her attention, not to mention their fight.

She spoke with him only two times, and both those times ended up with the two of them fighting each other. Though it was pretty funny how those two times they didn't end on antagonistic terms. Maybe it was because of how genuine Collin was, or maybe it was his personality, she couldn't be sure. That guy was definitely something.

"Somethin' troublin' ya?" she heard someone behind her say and quickly turned around, only to be met with Collin's amused expression. "Hey, calm down! My hands are in their place."

"What do you want?" she asked.

"To talk," he said simply. "And to have a meetin' that doesn't end with both of us on the floor. Besides, you need a friend."

"You're still on that?"

"Very much."

Annie shook her head. "You're determined, I'll give you that."

"I wouldn't be where I am if I wasn't," Collin said. "Come, walk with me. I'll find us a nice quiet place."

"Is that your usual pick-up line for girls?"

Collin grumbled under his breath. "Okay, I probably should've worded that differently. I ain't hittin' on ya, I just want for us talk for a bit before we hit the hay."

"Well, if you insist, we might as well," Annie said somewhat dismissively. "Lead the way."

Collin smiled. "Great."

Several minutes later, Collin and Annie soon found themselves at the cliffside that overlooked a huge lake, the same place where Collin, Armin, Eren, Bertholdt, and Reiner were during their second day at boot camp.

The two of them sat on the cliff and looked at the lake that was painted orange from the setting sun.

"Nice view, don't ya think?" Collin asked.

"I suppose," Annie answered. Then she noticed something as she gave Collin's face a second look. "You know, you don't have any bruises despite how many times I hit you."

Collin smiled. "Well, ever since I was little I was able to take a hit. That's why had you wailing on me as much as you did."

"So you're just naturally tough?"

Collin shrugged. "As I said, I've been that way since I was little. I don't think about it too much," he said. "By the way, who taught ya how to fight like that? You're definitely the best hand-to-hand fighter among all of us."

Annie looked at him silently for several moments before looking back at the lake. This was the second time she was asked that question. "My father did. He wanted me to be prepared for the world." She then scoffed. "Like all of that would serve me in any way."

Collin raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"This hand-to-hand practice isn't worth any points in our training. People here just use it to unwind or do something stupid, and only a few take it really seriously. It's nothing but a big farce if you ask me," she said, clear distaste in her voice. "My father was insistent though, and I was too young to deny him. That's why I'm so good at this. The ODM gear training is the only thing worth anything here."

"Annie," Collin said getting her attention. "I'm sure your pa only wanted to keep you safe when he couldn't. Fathers are protective like that."

"And you would know?"

Collin's expression dropped slightly. "Well, the very last thing my pa ever did was save my life." This got a shocked look from Annie. "When the Armored Titan attacked, my pa pushed out of the way of the incomin' boulder before he and my ma were crushed. And that's why I'm here, alive."

Annie was silent for a moment as a shocked face replaced her usual stoic look. "I'm… sorry to hear that."

"No, it's alright," Collin said. "I'm just tellin' ya to think again about why your pa wanted to train you."

Annie averted her gaze from him and got lost in thought for a moment. She remembered her father always pushing her to do better, always encouraging her to push herself beyond her limits. He was very strict with it too, always going for perfection, berating her when she made mistakes and seemingly didn't care if she was too exhausted to continue.

Every kick, every punch, every move needed to be perfect. Her father either beaming with pride or being disappointed. Never in-between. She always thought that up until the very end, her father only wanted to have some sort of success through her.

But after hearing what Collin said… maybe… just maybe…

She shook her head to rid herself of problematic thoughts that she honestly didn't need right now. "So what about you?" Annie asked. "While you don't seem to have extensive knowledge of any particular martial art, you do seem to at least know what you're doing considering the move you pulled.

"And you seem to actually seek fights from what I've seen. Back then when you hit Shadis, you could have told those two cadets off when they confronted you, but you decided to engage them physically. You also picked fights with other cadets, several times if I'm correct, not to mention you wanting to spar with me. I assume that you have some experience in physical confrontations."

Collin then gained a distant look. She did seem to at least get the picture. "Well, I actually do. Somewhat at least. You see, I wasn't always confrontational and would just stay away from fightin' anyone. It just wasn't me." He stopped talking before looking at Annie. "This might take a little bit, so I hope you don't mind."

"I have time."

"Alright then. It was durin' the time when the neighbor's kid and his goons picked on me..:"


An eight-year-old Collin stood in front of a group of three kids near a forest at Karno village. The three of them looked angrily at him, with one, in particular, glaring at him the most. The kid was the same age as Collin, had black hair and blue eyes, and he stood in front of the other two with his arms crossed.

Collin tried not to look down as his fists were clenched, the gazes coming from the three making him nervous.

"So, mind explainin' to us what you are?" the one in the front demanded.

"I… I don't know what ya mean, Philip," Collin said.

"Don't play dumb!" Philip shouted. "We heard from Jaina what happened! So tell us what you are you freak!"

"Yeah!" another kid demanded. "Tells us! What's the matter with you?!"

"Answer us, bastard!" the last one demanded.

Collin just bit his lip and shut his eyes. Why? Why were the three of them always like this? He never did anything to them, but because of the grudge Philip's dad had with his own, Philip ended up hating Collin, as much as his dad hated Karlo.

"Look, it was nothin'," Collin insisted. "Just… just leave me alone."

Collin then tried to walk away, but then had his arm roughly grabbed by Philip. "You're not goin' anywhere!"

"Leave me alone!" Collin exclaimed before wrenching his hand free.

Philip growled before suddenly tackling Collin and slamming him to the ground while putting himself on top of him. "No runnin' now, bastard!"

Philip then grabbed Collin by the shirt before hitting him repeatedly with his free fist, with Collin trying to cover his face. The two others soon joined in and began punching and kicking Collin as well, with the young Holt trying his best to shield himself from the assault, but still unwilling to fight back.

After a little of while beating him, the three boys got bored and left Collin alone. Collin was thankful that he was as tough as he was, otherwise the beating would have been a lot worse, but Collin still got several bruises.

Right now, he was kneeling next to a river as he scooped some water into his hands before washing his face.

"Stupid jerks," Collin grumbled to himself before washing his face again.

"Somethin' botherin' ya, boy?"

Collin quickly turned at an unfamiliar voice and saw someone standing several meters away from him. It was a fairly tall middle-aged man with a thin beard, shoulder-length dark-brown hair, and grey eyes. He was dressed in a black trench coat and he also wore a black fedora hat. He was also holding a bag over his shoulder.

"Um, may… may I help you, sir?" Collin asked nervously since he never saw the man in his life.

"Oh, I just thought to come by a little," he said before walking closer to the river and taking a seat.

"Oh, yeah, well… I… I better go," Collin said as he rose up.

"Whoa there, what's the hurry?" the man asked, halting Collin.

"Well, I… I'm sorry, but I shouldn't talk to strangers," Collin replied.

"Oh, so that's how it is," the man said. "You're Amelia's kid, aren't ya?"

That gave Collin pause. "You… you know my ma?"

The man grinned. "Oh, your mom and I go way back. Though, I didn't really have any time to visit her for the past decade. Been quite busy at the capital."

"Um, well, you could visit her today…"

The man shook his head. "As much as I'd like to, I can't. I'll only be here briefly," he explained. "By the way, I saw the scuffle you had with those three brats. Tell me, why weren't ya fightin' back?"

"Oh, you saw that?" Collin said. "My ma and pa told me I shouldn't pick fights with other kids. And that it was better I don't fight them at all. That violence is never the answer."

The man chuckled. "Is that a fact now? Man, how naïve," he said before rising. "Boy, lemme give you some friendly advice. When they try to fight ya, you fight back. Make them back off and leave you alone."

"But… but my parents-"

"Your parents don't know everythin', kid," the man interrupted. "Listen, this ain't the first time those brats attacked you, is it?"

Collin looked down in shame before shaking his head.

"Trust me, I know their sort. They won't back off by you bein' nice and words don't work. You have to get your hands dirty if ya want them to stop. I can tell you're strong, and more than capable of doin' so. So the next time they bother you, throw the first punch, and make it count."

"But… but I could hurt them," Collin protested.

The man laughed. "That's the point! Otherwise they ain't gonna listen. Violence is the language they speak, so you better speak their language."

Collin looked down. "I… I don't know," he said. This went against what his parents taught him. They made sure to tell him that violence was never the answer, yet this man here was just telling him that it was the only answer.

"Hey, hey, hey, don't give me that look," the man said before walking over to Collin, kneeling down and putting a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Listen, boy. If you keep doin' what you're doin' those brats will only come back for more. They pick ya as a target because you ain't fightin' back. If you give 'em a good beating, they'll leave you alone."

"I'll get trouble with my folks."

"Maybe," the man said as he rose. "But you'll only get in trouble once. Those kids however will leave you for good. A good trade, I must say." He then tipped his hat. "Well, goodbye, boy. I gotta go."

"Wait a minute!" Collin said as the man walked past him. "I never got your name, mister."

The man turned to him with a smile. "My name ain't important. I'm just a guy that gave you some advice. Goodbye!"

"Goodbye, mister!" Collin exclaimed while giving the man a wave as he disappeared into the woods.

Collin stood there for a moment and gave a thought to what the man said.


It didn't take long for Philip and his little gang to bother Collin again. He was picking up some wood from the forest when the three of them suddenly walked up to him, the same glaring expressions on their faces.

"Well, looks like the bastard is back again," Philip said.

"I don't think he learned his lesson from last time," another goon said.

Just ignore them, just ignore them, was the line of thought that went through Collin's head. He wanted to just leave and go home. But then he remembered what the strange man from before said to him.

And he was right. Those three won't leave him alone. They'll just continue to bully him until who knows when. And since Philip's dad seemingly encouraged that behavior, it won't be any time soon.

Collin dropped the pieces of wood down and then glared back at them. Not this time. "You know, Philip, you're pathetic."

That caught the three of them off guard. "Wha… what the hell did you say?!" Philip demanded.

"You're pathetic!" Collin exclaimed. "Just like your pa is pathetic! He's just jealous that my ma never married him, and now he's usin' ya to beat me so my ma would be hurt! And call me a bastard all you want, it doesn't change anythin'!"

Philip's glare intensified as he clenched his teeth in anger. He walked over to Collin and grabbed him by the shirt. "You better take that back or I'm gonna-" He was interrupted by Collin's fist digging into his gut, sending a wave of pain that made his eyes go wide. Philip then fell to his knees, clenching his gut.

"What's the matter, not so tough now?" Collin taunted as he looked down.

"Philip!" One of the goons exclaimed before running over at Collin with his fist raised. "Why you little…!"

Collin dodged the punch before countering with his own, striking the bully into the face. He was sent hurling back with some teeth flying out of his mouth.

The last went to strike Collin, but the young Holt grabbed his arm before slamming him down on the ground and twisting, making the last bully yelp in pain.

Philip, now recovered from the punch, tackled Collin again in a similar fashion from before. But just as he was about to beat on him, Collin pushed him away before his legs wrapped around Philip, and he was slammed down. When Philip's own legs started swinging, Collin grabbed them and pressed them against him.

Philip tried to wrestle out, wriggling the two of them from side to side until Collin began twisting his legs, forcing the bully leader to be twisted as well. Philip then began screaming in pain as he tried to get out, but nothing worked.

"Argh! Stop! Stop! STOP!" Philip begged as he could feel the pain getting worse.

Collin decided to oblige him, and broke his hold over him, with Philip throwing himself on the side. All four of them rose, with one bully holding his arm while the other's hand covered his mouth. Philip let out several pained moans as he looked at Collin. However, his breath got caught in his throat as he saw Collin's brown eyes glaring at him, feeling like he was looking in the eyes of some sort of predator.

"You… You're a freak!" Philip exclaimed before turning tail and running away, the other two following his example.

Collin stood there panting as his glare slowly lessened; a smirk slowly crept up to his face. Dear God, he'd have to lie to say he wasn't feeling good right now. After everything they did to him, those three got what they deserved.


Back in the present, Collin continued telling his story. "And after that, they never bothered me again."

"I see," Annie said. "I assume your parents weren't thrilled to hear what transpired."

"Oh, they weren't. Not at all," Collin said. "They gave me quite an earful for what I did to Philip and the others, saying that I was very irresponsible and rude. I got grounded for a while, and I felt guilty. But after that, they never gave any more trouble. Those three learned their lesson the hard way."

"And what about that man in the woods? Did you see him again?"

Collin shook his head. "No. That was the one and only time I ever saw him. Never learned his name, which is a shame," he said. "But ever since then, I got into fights with a few other bullies, none of which were after me, and I got them to stop. My ma and pa weren't proud of that, but hey, you can't argue with the results."

"No, I suppose you can't," Annie said.

"Hey, I've been meanin' to ask ya," Collin began. "Could you please teach me how to fight?"

Annie raised an eyebrow. "Really? Why the sudden interest? Especially after you beat me a little while earlier."

"Because I know that was under special circumstances. I don't really know martial arts like you, and in most scenarios, you'd kick my ass."

"Hmm, so you aren't a complete meathead after all."

"Ugh, what is with the stereotype of big and strong people bein' dumb?!"

"Well, what you did before could be said to be pretty dumb."

"Hey, I got the desired outcome. You can't hold it against me."

Annie smiled, almost letting out a chuckle in the process. "Alright, I'll train you," she said. "I'll have to warn you, though. I won't be holding back."

"I wouldn't expect anything else," he said. "By the way, you have a beautiful smile. It really suits ya."

Annie blinked as she felt some heat rising to her cheeks. "What did you say about hitting on me?"

"Hey, it's better than the stoic expression you have most of the time. I was afraid your face was stuck like that. I'm happy to know that ain't the case."

Annie then sighed, her face once again neutral. She looked at the sun's position before turning to Collin. "We should get back to our barracks."

"Yeah, yeah, alright," Collin as the two of them stood up. "So, can I safely call you a friend without you flippin' me over?"

"Don't push your luck, Holt."

"Oh, come on. Don't be like that, Annie."

"I'm still a bit peeved about what you did earlier."

"Eh, you'll get over it eventually."

"After a few training sessions, maybe."

Collin laughed. "Well, at least I'm making progress," he said. "So we'll be going to Trost tomorrow. I wonder what we'll be doin' there."

Annie shrugged, "We'll just have to wait and see."


AN: And that is it, my dear readers! In this chapter we get some more of Collin's past and we also saw him get more friendly with Annie. I hope you liked it.

I also implore you to leave a review, they are great motivators. And check out my other stories. Trust me, they're worth it.

See you next time!