Year 841

Tom Xaver sat alone in the library, his eyes fixed on the book before him, its large frame resting on the old wooden table. A few stray rays of sunlight shone through a nearby window.

Muffled footsteps entered the room, and a sixteen year old boy came around one of the book shelves.

He smiled, relieved to have found his mentor. "What are you reading?"

Tom looked up. "Ah, good morning Zeke. I was just reading this book by Charles Dawkins."

Zeke leaned against the table and eyed the book curiously. "Oh, wasn't that the scientist who came up with the theory of evolution?"

Tom chuckled. "An oversimplification, but basically yes. My work and research has mainly been about the Titans, but I have to admit I also have a fascination with the wide range of diversity and beauty found in the animal kingdom."

"So, what's this book about?"

Tom flipped through a few pages. "Well this one is basically a compilation of all the known species found in the animal kingdom. This field of study does actually have some relevance to my Titan research, given that I have the Beast Titan."

Zeke looked surprised. "Really? What does the Beast Titan look like?"

"Tall, gangly, mostly covered in fur. Its basic bodily proportions are mostly the same each time, at least as far as we can tell from the Warriors that held the Beast Titan and the few records we have left from the Eldian empire. But what's different each time is the head. The head of the Beast Titan takes the form of the user's spirit animal. So while it mostly looks like a normal Titan, the head can be quite distinct. It can be the head of an eagle, a wolf, a snake, a horse, even a rabbit, as well as any number of other creatures."

Zeke snorted. "A rabbit? That just sounds a bit silly. What's yours?"

Tom's eyes softened. "A ram."

Zeke rubbed his chin. "Interesting. Well, it certainly sounds a bit more dignified than a rabbit. What do you think mine will be?"

Tom shrugged. "I'm not sure, but you do seem to have a bit of an affinity for the great apes."

Zeke nodded. "True. I did have a monkey toy when I was a kid."

His face darkened as unpleasant childhood memories came back to him.

Sensing his discomfort, Tom hastily changed the subject. "Well anyway, I've been looking over this section, one which is sadly not comprehensive because of certain difficulties."

Zeke looked over, and saw some illustrations of tightly packed trees on one page. "What is it?"

"It's about the species and biomes found on Paradis island. From the surviving records we have it seems that the biomes of Paradis are relatively similar to those found here in Marley, but there are some key differences. Most notably, the forests of giant trees, consisting of millions of trees that are dozens if not hundreds of meters high."

Zeke's eyes widened. "That's huge!"

Tom continued. "And it's not just the trees that are gigantic. Apparently these forests are home to many larger variations of animals, including giant wolves, giant bears, and giant boars. And probably the most incredible are the aliphants."

Zeke frowned. "Aliphants? I've never heard of them."

Tom nodded. "I'm not surprised. They're a species that appears to share a common ancestor with elephants. Unlike elephants, which are somewhat widespread in various parts of the continent, aliphants are only found on Paradis island."

Zeke looked thoughtful. "Elephants are already pretty big. Are the aliphants even bigger?"

"Yes, quite a bit bigger actually."

Tom tilted his head. "There are numerous documented cases of ancient civilizations using war elephants against their enemies. When the Eldian Empire came to power there were a few neighboring countries that tried to utilize war elephants against the Titans from time to time. However, this never worked out for them. Elephants might be big compared to humans, but they're only about 3 meters tall, which means that they're pretty much useless against all but the smallest Titans. Aliphants, on the other hand, are much bigger, though unfortunately we don't know exactly how big."

Zeke seemed intrigued. "So they could pose a threat against Titans?"

"In theory yes, which is one of many reasons why the Eldian royal family kept a close eye on Paradis island throughout the centuries. Of course after the Eldian Empire collapsed the royal family fled behind their walls on that island, and now the island is infested with Titans meant both to keep us out and the Eldians on the island in."

Tom looked down, his eyes dimming. "It's a shame. I would have liked to have seen the giant forests and its denizens at least once before I died, but sadly that just wasn't meant to be."

Zeke placed his hand on Tom's shoulder. "I'll see them for you."

Tom smiled, knowing that Zeke would do his best to keep his word.

Year 844

The tiny cafe wasn't very crowded, but that suited the Scouts that frequented it just fine. While some people praised and admired the Scouts for their bravery, it was more common for them to encounter mocking or dismissive attitudes, and consequently the Scouts tended to avoid too much interaction with the public.

The cafe had unofficially become the place where Scouts could go to before and after expeditions, with many drowning their sorrows with alcohol in order to momentarily forget the horrors they had witnessed beyond the walls. Since the only ones who came to the cafe were Scouts and people who supported the Scouts, they could avoid much of the scorn they would receive if they went to more popular establishments.

For Erwin, it had come to be a reliable place to hold discreet meetings with other officers without the risk of any non Scouts overhearing, and this was the reason he had come today.

Commander Shadis leaned back in his chair. "So, that last expedition went fairly well."

Erwin nodded. "Yes. We still suffered some casualties, but not as many as we usually do, and we were able to establish a base beyond the walls. Whether we'll be able to rely on it going forward remains to be seen, but it's a step."

Shadis tilted his head. "Of course, I think we owe a lot of our recent success to Levi. I was dubious at first, but you made the right call in recruiting him. I've never seen someone move so fast or so precisely with their ODM gear, nor have I seen someone single-handedly take down three Titans in rapid succession. And of course his presence has greatly boosted the morale of the other soldiers."

Erwin glanced around to make sure no one else was listening before returning his gaze to Shadis. "So, has the central government responded to my proposal?"

Shadis stiffened. "You mean the one about our aliphant division?"

"Yes. I think we've spent long enough on just training and practicing. It's time to see how they actually fare against the Titans."

Shadis grimaced. "Unfortunately, the government has…postponed your request."

Erwin frowned. "What?"

Shadis sighed. "It seems that some of the merchant guilds have gotten wind of what we've been doing with the aliphants, and have objected to taking such valuable animals outside of the walls, suggesting that they be used for more 'useful' purposes inside the walls."

Erwin rubbed his forehead while letting out a bitter chuckle. "It figures. For decades aliphants were just wild animals roaming within the giant forests, and were deemed too dangerous to handle. 10 years ago I along with several other Scouts helped establish a separate division dedicated to trying to tame and train the aliphants, given that their immense size and strength would be incredibly helpful in our fight against the Titans. At the time the government thought it was a stupid idea but let us do it anyway. And now that we've clearly demonstrated that the aliphants can in fact be tamed and commanded by humans, of course they want to swoop in and take them for themselves. Probably to sell them off to circuses and traders or some other such nonsense."

Shadis raised his hand. "I know you're not happy about this, but the government hasn't granted the merchants' request yet."

Erwin looked up. "So, will they allow us to take the aliphants outside of the walls?"

Shadis glanced off to the side. "Presently, no. They say that they'd like us to demonstrate some real tangible progress within the next year first. If we do, then they will allow us to take the aliphants outside of the walls. If we don't, we'll be expected to comply with the merchants."

Erwin frowned. "They're expecting us to make progress while denying us the right to use one of our most valuable resources?"

Shadis glanced at the other Scouts in the cafe. "It is annoying, but in a way I can kind of see their point. Many already see the government's investment in the Scouts as a sunk cost fallacy. And when I think about the Titans…how massive they are, how numerous, and how durable…sometimes I wonder if the aliphants would really make that much of a difference."

"There's only one way to find out for sure." Erwin said pointedly.

"True." Shadis conceded. "But…I have a feeling you'll be the one to do it. Not me."

Year 845

Erwin stood impatiently in front of Zackley's desk, wondering where the man was.

As if his thoughts had summoned him, Zackley came through the door and quickly took his seat, muttering a quick apology for being late.

Erwin folded his hands behind his back. "So, where do we stand?"

Zackley looked at him seriously. "Well, as you could probably have guessed, the government was on the verge of disbanding the Scouts altogether, and that disastrous expedition probably would have been the final nail in the coffin. However, in light of the fall of Wall Maria, they have reconsidered, given that you are the division most experienced in fighting the Titans."

Erwin nodded curtly. "Good. I was there when the Scouts worked alongside the Garrison to slow the Titan advance while the civilians of Wall Maria were evacuated. Many brave men and women died to buy them time. I won't let their sacrifices be in vain."

Zackley looked down at several of the papers on his desk, his expression grim. "We might have saved most of humanity, but now we're facing a new crisis, one potentially more serious than even the Titans. With the loss of so much land and a flood of people, we're having a hard time providing enough food and shelter for them all. Our estimates indicate that we have, at most, a year before we start running out of resources, and a war breaks out amongst the refugees and the other residents of Wall Rose."

He looked back at Erwin. "There's only one way to prevent that."

"Take back Wall Maria." Erwin said.

"Exactly. In light of that, you've been given free reign to do what you like with the Scouts, and the government is willing to grant you whatever weapons and supplies you need, so long as you succeed in taking back our land from the Titans."

Erwin looked satisfied. "Understood. I assume that I will be allowed to use the aliphants as I see fit?"

"Of course." Zackley frowned apologetically. "I'm sorry about their foolishness, but at least this crisis appears to have knocked some sense into them, for a little while at least."

Eight months after the fall of Wall Maria

Tobias Arlert took out a cloth and dabbed his forehead to get rid of some of the sweat that had formed. After placing the cloth back in his pocket, he resumed his work in the fields, keeping an eye on the three children under his care who were working beside him.

With all of humanity withdrawing behind Wall Rose, an impending food shortage crisis was on the way, and so the refugees from Wall Maria had been tasked with cultivating more farmland in order to feed the larger population. Their efforts had yielded some promising results, and for now there was enough food to feed everyone.

But Tobias wondered how much longer that would last.

Armin and Mikasa went about their work mostly in silence, while Eren often had an angry scowl on his face, muttering about how he would kill all the Titans someday.

Tobias always had to resist the urge to sigh whenever he overheard Eren's mutterings. It was a foolish, childish notion. Even if humanity did triumph over the Titans, it would be a collective effort that did it. The idea that a single person could manage it on their own was absurd.

But Tobias knew that Eren's anger was just a coping mechanism, born out of the trauma of having seen his mother eaten alive. It was an understandable emotion, and Tobias was sure that he would grow out of it, or at least find healthier ways of channeling it as he grew older.

Movement in the distance caught Tobias's eye. He looked toward the forest near the field where they were working, and saw several flocks of birds emerging from the tree tops and flying into the sky, as if something had startled them.

A moment later, he felt a dull thudding in the ground.

He froze, as did the three nearby children.

Armin paled. "Do you feel that?"

Mikasa knelt down and touched the ground. "It's…footsteps."

Eren looked around wildly. "The Titans are here?!"

Tobias frowned. "I don't think so."

They looked toward the forest, which seemed to be where the increasingly loud footsteps were coming from.

Then, around the edge of the forest, an enormous animal emerged.

It was twelve meters tall, and walked on all fours with legs as thick as tree trunks. Its leathery skin was gray with a slight tinge of green. On both sides of its head were large fan-like ears, and its face stretched out and ended with a long proboscis-like appendage. On either side of its mouth were two pairs of enormous tusks, the ones on top being longer and with a very slight jutted curve at the end, while the ones underneath were perfectly straight and shorter, though still quite large.

On its back was an enormous saddle that was secured with multiple ropes looped around the animal's belly, and on the saddle were around a dozen people. On top of the head was a separate perch with a single person, and they were holding two ropes that were connected to the animal's large ears, with their function clearly being similar to that of reins on a horse.

They had barely finished processing what they were seeing when another one of the animals emerged from around the forest, and then another, all of them walking in a single file line.

Mikasa's eyes widened. "Whoa."

"Holy shit!" Eren shouted.

"Eren…" Armin admonished, but he was too amazed by what they were seeing to put much force into it.

Tobias watched the animals curiously. "So this must be the Scouts' Aliphant division."

The aliphants passed by the field, continuing to march in a single file line. Right beside the aliphants were numerous wagons of varying sizes being pulled by horses that were carrying supplies, as well as other horses carrying just riders.

By now almost everybody in the field had stopped what they were doing to watch as the aliphants marched by.

The procession headed southeast, and though it took a while eventually the line of aliphants came to an end, and the Scouts began to disappear into the distance. Before long, everyone in the field got back to work, but slightly more energized than they had been before.

"Amazing." Eren remarked. "That was incredible! There must have been hundreds of them!"

"Sixty four." Armin said.

Eren glanced at him. "Huh?"

"There were sixty four of them." Armin clarified. "I counted."

Eren shrugged. "Still, that's a lot. Those Titans are finished for sure! But why didn't they use the aliphants to fight the Titans before?"

Tobias rubbed his chin. "Well, before the fall of Wall Maria fighting the Titans seemed like a fool's errand. But now, it's a matter of life and death. If we don't take back Wall Maria, there might not be enough resources for everyone to survive in the long run."

"I hope they succeed." Mikasa said quietly.

Eren nodded. "Me too."

Pixis stared down from the top of Wall Rose, his eyes fixed on the Scout's camp just outside of Trost.

The aliphants were gathered near the canal and were being fed and watered, with many nearby Scouts attending them. Further back the rest of the Scouts had set up camp, with the horses and wagons encircling them. A short distance away a large crowd of civilians had gathered to get a good look at the aliphants, necessitating some of the Garrison to keep an eye on them so that they didn't try to enter the camp in an attempt to get even closer.

Pixis stroked his chin. "Impressive. Truly impressive. I'd thought the rumors about their size were exaggerations, but I can see that they are indeed big enough to rival the Titans."

Erwin nodded. "And we know from firsthand experience that they can be used to kill Titans. During our test runs from Krolva we were able to kill almost every Titan we came across, and the total number of deaths was only 4, while the total number of injured was only 10, which is significantly better than when we were only using horses. But killing Titans won't matter as long as Wall Maria is broken. In order to take back our land, we need to seal that hole."

Erwin pulled out a map and a formation outline, and spread them out on the surface of the wall.

Erwin tapped the outline. "We'll need six large wagons to transport all of the materials we'll need to seal the hole, four of which will be materials for the hole itself, while the remaining two will be extra supplies for our troops. The wagons will be escorted by 50 additional horses, 30 of which will have riders, while 20 will be extras in case we lose some. Around them will be a circle of 24 aliphants, and around those will be an even larger circle of 32 aliphants, with an extra 8 aliphants at the very front. The aliphants will act as a physical barrier and blockade against the Titans, while the people on the aliphants backs will protect the aliphants and compensate for anything that might slip past them."

Pixis frowned. "One concern I have is with some of the armor and materials you want to place on the aliphants. According to your plans we'll need to kill all of the Titans immediately outside of Trost, and then the Garrison will have to distract and lure away any other nearby Titans while you outfit the aliphants and get the formation ready. Wouldn't it be possible to outfit the aliphants inside Wall Rose?"

Erwin shook his head. "Unfortunately no. The aliphants can get through the gates, but just barely, and some of the armor is too bulky for it to fit. We'll need to wait until they're outside of Trost before we can outfit them. I'm sorry, I know members of the Garrison will have to die to buy us time, but it's the only way."

Pixis closed his eyes. "Hmm. Very well. It can't be helped."

He smiled. "I must say, though, seeing those beasts with my own eyes does give me hope. Your plan seems sound enough, and honestly I think it stands a good chance of succeeding. Still, this is quite a bold move, and if it should fail we won't be able to try again."

Erwin rolled up the papers. "I agree. I wish we had a bit more time to prepare, but time is one thing we don't have. If we don't get our land back as soon as possible, humanity could tear itself apart."

Pixis shook his hand. "Well, best of luck commander Erwin."

Ilse sat near the edge of the campsite, feeling incredibly nervous.

She was one of the many newer Scouts who had enlisted to help humanity retake Wall Maria. There had been a large number of volunteers who had joined the Scouts for this purpose, which had fortunately prevented the government from needing to conscript anyone. Some of them had been from the Garrison, some of them had been refugees from Wall Maria, and some of them had been residents of Wall Rose who were afraid that their wall was next. Ilse was a part of the last group.

Ilse knew that they needed to fight, because if they didn't then her home would be next. But this knowledge didn't prevent her from feeling afraid, knowing that tomorrow she was going to be heading into Titan territory, and that she could die.

She took a bite of stew, her hands trembling.

"Hello!"

She jumped as another female Scout unexpectedly plopped down next to her.

The newcomer grinned. "My name's Isabel. It's nice to meet ya!"

"Oh. H-hi. I'm Ilse."

Isabel's smile softened. "What's wrong, you nervous?"

Ilse nodded shakily. "Y-yeah. A little."

That was a massive understatement, but Ilse didn't feel comfortable confessing just how terrified she was.

Isabel nodded sagely. "That's understandable, but I'm sure we'll be fine."

Ilse looked down, and her eyes widened in shock. "Your…your legs!"

"Hmm? Oh yeah, they're fake."

Isabel tapped her legs, which had clearly been severed from just below the knee and replaced with wooden peg-legs.

"What happened?"

Isabel's smile faded. "They were bitten off by a Titan. I almost died, but thankfully Levi arrived in time to save me. Furlan didn't make it though…"

Ilse looked at her sharply. "Wait, do you mean captain Levi?"

Isabel chuckled. "It sounds weird hearing him called a captain, but yes."

From her tone, Ilse could tell that Isabel must have known Levi before he joined the Scouts, and she couldn't help but feel curious, given that the legendary captain's past was shrouded in mystery. But she could also tell that Isabel didn't really want to talk about it, and so kept her questions to herself.

Ilse frowned. "But if your legs were bitten off, why are you still a soldier?"

Isabel shrugged. "I can still use ODM gear to an extent, but you're right, without my legs I can't be a proper soldier anymore. But there are other ways I can help. I'm actually one of the Aliphant trainers."

Ilse gasped. "Whoa, you actually control one of those things?"

Isabel shook her head. "You don't control them, you guide and direct them. It may sound hard, but they're really rather gentle giants, and I've always had a thing for animals."

Ilse looked uncertain. "Even so…"

Isabel sighed. "Levi trusts Erwin, and I trust Levi. Plus, if we don't fight back, we'll lose everything."

Ilse glanced away. "I see."

Isabel smiled. "Don't look so grim. With the Aliphants helping us retaking Wall Maria will be a piece of cake!"

Ilse wasn't so sure about that, but she couldn't help but admire Isabel's cheerfulness and optimism.

Erwin surveyed the formation, double checking to make sure that everything was in place.

The six large supply wagons were in the center, three in front and three in back. Thirty horses with Scouts on their backs surrounded the wagons, and there were twenty spare horses mixed in with the formation.

Encircling them was a ring of twenty four aliphants, which in turn had another ring of thirty two aliphants surrounding them, with eight aliphants at the very front of the formation, just as he had planned.

All of the aliphants were equipped with a large saddle that carried twelve Scouts, each armed with ODM gear, blades, rifles, and specialized shotguns. In the center of each saddle was a large ball held up by multiple support beams coming up from the edges of the saddle. The ball was relatively light and covered with a large sheet made of special fibers, and its purpose was to allow Scouts to hook onto it with their ODM gear should the need arise.

All of the aliphants had spikes lining the lower half of their legs, which were held in place by a sleeve that had been wrapped around the tree trunk thick limbs. The spikes were large enough to snag a smaller Titan that tried to slip between the aliphants legs, but small enough that someone on horseback could cross underneath the aliphants belly without worrying about being impaled as long as they timed it carefully.

The aliphants on the outer edges of the formation had additional armor. In the front the aliphants had a steel wire connecting their upper tusks, making it more likely for a Titan to be shoved back when the aliphants used their tusks to attack. The rest of the aliphants in the formation didn't have this wire, and instead simply had some extra spikes attached to the ends of their tusks.

The aliphants on the left and right edges of the formation had a flanchard draped over their sides. The aliphants on the left edge of the formation had long thin metal spikes jutting out from the left side of the flanchard. The spikes were 15 meters long, with the ones near the top being angled upwards, and their purpose was to snag any larger Titans that tried to breach the formation. On the right side of the flanchard was a large flat hunk of metal to serve as a counterweight so that the saddle and the aliphant remained balanced. The aliphants on the right edge of the formation also had the spikes and counterweights, just reversed.

The aliphants on the back edge of the formation had a croupiere draped over their hindquarters, and from the croupiere more long thin metal spikes jutted out, their purpose being to snag any larger Titans that tried to breach the formation.

Satisfied that everyone was in place, Erwin fired off a green smoke signal.

"THE MISSION TO RETAKE WALL MARIA HAS BEGUN!"

Levi, who was on one of the horses in the center of the formation, rolled his eyes. "Tch. Took you long enough, I was just starting to wonder if I should have brought a book."

At the front of the formation Isabel grinned upon seeing the green smoke signal, and after gently tugging on the ropes connected to her aliphants ears, the great beast began to walk forward with a low rumble emanating from its throat.

Isabel softly patted its head. "Good boy."

Before long, all of the aliphants had begun to march, and the mission was underway.

Erwin watched from his position on top of one of the aliphants in the middle of the row of aliphants that were just behind the front line. This aliphant's saddle was slightly different from the others, as it had an extra tower that elevated his position so that he could see the whole formation more easily.

A thoughtful frown emerged on his face.

If all goes well, we should be able to reach Wall Maria by the time night falls. The aliphants can only travel about eight kilometers an hour. It's not ideal, but the supply wagons are heavy enough and slow enough that a faster pace wouldn't have been possible even if the aliphants were capable of a quicker walking speed.

His eyes scanned the nearby lands. Thanks to the Garrison we probably won't have to deal with any Titans for a little while, but it's only a matter of time before they do show up.

Half an hour passed without incident, but the quiet atmosphere was soon shattered.

Ilse was positioned on one of the aliphants on the left edge of the formation. She'd been scanning the horizon, her eyes surveying the terrain, and suddenly she froze.

In the far distance, just barely visible, were two Titans.

Her hands shaking, she grabbed her flare gun, slotted a red capsule into it, and fired a red signal flare into the air.

The flare got the attention of the whole formation, warning them about the Titans, but they continued to move forward regardless.

Erwin noticed the red flare. Here they come.

Isabel peered over her shoulder. A red flare. But it looks like it's coming from the east. The guys on the left flank should take care of it.

Ilse tried to remain calm as it became clear that the two Titans were running straight toward them.

Dieter, who was the captain of her aliphant, raised his voice. "Looks like we've got a ten meter and a fourteen meter incoming! Get ready!

Ilse and the other Scouts raised their rifles, and she saw the Scouts on the aliphants in front of them and behind them do the same.

She swallowed nervously. Hopefully the Titans will go after one of them instead. I know that's a horrible thought, but…

As the Titans grew closer, the Scouts kept their rifles trained on the approaching monsters.

"Steady." Dieter said. "Steady."

As the Titans closed the distance, it became clear that they were headed for the aliphant Ilse was on.

She kept her finger on the trigger of her gun, trying to keep her hands from shaking too badly.

"Wait until the last minute." Dieter warned. "We have to make every shot count."

The thudding of the Titans' footsteps grew louder and louder, until the Titans had almost reached the formation…

"FIRE!" Dieter roared.

The Scouts released the volley, aiming for the Titans' eyes.

The ten meter's eyes were completely destroyed, and it shrieked in pain before stumbling to the ground just next to the line of aliphants.

The aliphant behind them snorted, and at its trainer's command tilted its head to the right, and then immediately swung its head to the left, causing its spike covered tusk to smash into the ten meter Titan's face, dislocating its jaw and breaking its neck, and causing the Titan to fly back a short distance and collapse in a crumpled heap, emitting steam as it attempted to heal its numerous injuries.

But only one of the fourteen meter's eyes was destroyed, and while it stumbled and moaned in pain it continued to move forward.

But before it could try to grab any of the soldiers on the aliphant's back it found itself impaled and immobilized by the spikes jutting out from the aliphant's side.

The Titan seemed confused by its inability to move, and this confusion gave the Scouts time to shoot out its other eye, causing it to bellow in pain.

As it reached its hands up to its now blinded eyes, Dieter whipped out one of the specialized shotguns and took aim at the Titan's neck.

The specialized shotguns had been designed for killing Titans, but only worked if they hit exactly the right spot, and were fired at point blank range. Consequently, the only time they could be really useful was in this exact situation, when the Titan was pinned and unable to move.

Dieter fired, and the gun roared to life, tearing a hole through the Titan and blowing out its nape, killing it instantly.

The Titan slumped over, the spikes still holding it up in the air as its body slowly dissipated.

Ilse let out a sigh of relief, before hastily waving a signal flag that would be seen by the other nearby aliphant crews, indicating that the Titans had been taken care of.

Erwin saw the signal, and nodded to himself, satisfied with the soldiers' performance.

Their goal was to reach Wall Maria, not to kill the Titans, and so they would only kill Titans when it was absolutely necessary. With the horses they'd been forced to adjust their course to avoid the Titans, but with the aliphants they could stand their ground and continue on their intended course.

The ten meter Titan still lay in a crumpled heap, and while the Scouts on the passing aliphants kept a sharp eye on it, it showed no signs of getting up any time soon.

Several red flares were suddenly fired from the front line.

Erwin shifted his gaze ahead. Looks like we've got a bigger group of Titans. This will be our first real test on this mission.

A group of around a dozen Titans ranging from six meters to twelve meters were approaching the front line. As with their brethren, they seemed completely oblivious of the aliphants, only displaying interest in the humans that were on their backs.

This obliviousness would prove to be their downfall.

Isabel gently patted the head of her aliphant. "Here they come buddy. We've got this, right?"

The aliphant rumbled in response, and all at once the aliphants in the front row raised their trunks and bellowed a challenge out to the approaching Titans.

The Titans didn't react, and continued forward to their doom.

Just before the Titans reached the front line, the Scouts on the aliphants backs fired a volley aimed at the Titans eyes, blinding them and causing them to stagger and cry in pain, leaving them even more vulnerable to the incoming aliphants.

As the Titans reached the front line, Isabel's aliphant lowered its head before abruptly jerking it back up, causing the steel wire to smack into the twelve meter Titan stumbling right toward it.

The twelve meter Titan was sent flying back, its body surprisingly light for its size, and it fell to the ground with an awkward cry.

A nine meter and a ten meter met a similar fate, and an eight meter was kicked by one of the aliphants, sending it flying even further back.

Their smaller brethren were less lucky, as the six and seven meter Titans in the group were almost instantly stomped and crushed by the advancing aliphants, their bones and organs pulped into a flat stain on the ground beneath the aliphants feet.

As the aliphants continued to march, they quickly stomped over the larger Titans that had been knocked to the ground, crushing their bodies and napes, and continuing forward without a pause.

Isabel rubbed her aliphant's head affectionately. "Good boy!"

Erwin watched as the Titan bodies were further trampled by the second and third rows of aliphants, so that by the time the wagons got to them they had no problem passing over their flattened remains.

Erwin let out a sigh, relieved that his plan seemed to be working. The aliphants had been carefully trained to not stomp on humans or horses (unless specifically ordered to, but he tried not to think about the circumstances that would necessitate him to give such orders) but they had been trained to stomp any creature or object larger than a horse. They'd practiced with cows and Titan dummies, and now the aliphants could be relied upon to trample any Titan they encountered to death, which was much safer than using their ODM gear to take them down.

From his position in the center of the formation, Levi felt slightly annoyed that he couldn't see what was going on due to the bulk of the aliphant bodies around him blocking his view.

He fiddled with the reins. So far this has been pretty boring. But I suppose that's a good thing. If they need my help, then it'll mean things have taken a turn for the worse. Best to hope that things remain uneventful.

Most of the day passed by relatively peacefully. Every so often some Titans would appear and try to disrupt the formation, but their stupidity combined with the aliphants strength and the Scouts cleverness ensured that this never worked.

There was a close call where a three meter managed to slip between the legs of one of the aliphants on the right edge of the formation, but luckily was snagged by the spike laden leg of an aliphant in the inner circle, halting its progress and giving the Scouts an opening to kill it with ODM gear.

Erwin couldn't help but smile at the irony that it was the smallest Titans that were the greatest threat to the formation, as the larger ones were easily stopped by the aliphants.

When they were about halfway to Wall Maria the formation stopped near a river in order to give the aliphants a chance to rest and hydrate, while also giving the soldiers a chance to…take care of business, as it were.

Before long they were on their way again, and were skirting the edges of a forest when something unexpected happened.

A rustling noise came from the forest, and all at once a stampede of wild pigs came rushing out into the open just in front of them, the wild animals squealing in panic.

The aliphants in the front row came to an abrupt halt and began to rumble in alarm, their ears flaring out and their trunks raised defensively.

The aliphant trainers suddenly found themselves struggling to stay balanced, and immediately began to try to calm their companions.

"Whoa, easy!" Isabel cried. "Calm down, they're just pigs."

Seeing that the front line had unexpectedly halted, Erwin fired an acoustic shot, which was the signal for the whole formation to halt, as he didn't want to risk the aliphants running into each other.

As the whole formation came to a halt, Erwin frowned as he realized the cause of the unexpected stop.

Seriously? These creatures, which faced down the Titans without fear, are spooked by pigs?

The wild pigs soon moved on, and the aliphants calmed down, though they still appeared spooked, and their trainers were whispering words of encouragement.

Isabel caressed her aliphant's head gently. "It's okay, they're gone now. You're safe. It's going to be okay."

Erwin rubbed his chin. Hmm. Perhaps they're sensitive to certain high pitched noises. It's unfortunate that we didn't discover this weakness of theirs sooner. But this is just a minor setback. We should still be able to…

Suddenly, a bunch of thudding sounds could be heard coming from the forest in the same direction the wild pigs had come from, and all at once a large horde of Titans emerged from the forest, heading straight for the now halted formation.

"PREPARE FOR BATTLE!" Erwin bellowed.

They weren't able to get the aliphants moving again before the Titans were upon them.

The Scouts fired at the Titan's eyes, and the aliphants smacked the Titans with their tusks and trunks, but the sheer numbers soon began to overwhelm them.

Isabel's eyes were wide in fear, as the Titans were terrifyingly close to her perch, and if it wasn't for her comrades shooting at the Titans' eyes and hands she would have already been snatched up.

Erwin gritted his teeth. Damn it, we can't risk the formation being compromised. This is risky, but we have no choice.

He fired a purple smoke signal into the air toward the front of the formation.

Levi's eyes lit up. "That's our cue."

Levi, along with Mike and many other veterans, directed their horses to pass underneath the aliphants to the left and right sides and exit the formation.

In order to help the Scouts on the front line keep the Titans at bay, members from other crews used their ODM gear to latch onto the large balls suspended above the saddles so that they could perch on them and add their firepower to the mix.

As they did this, the Scouts on horseback circled around in order to come at the Titan horde from the rear.

As the Scouts on horseback got into position, Erwin fired a yellow smoke signal, telling the aliphant crews to cease fire so that they didn't accidentally shoot their comrades.

Levi and the other veterans launched themselves into the air and began to cut down the Titans using their ODM gear, and a moment later the Scouts on the aliphants backs joined them, attacking the Titans from the front and back.

Many Scouts were grabbed, eaten, or crushed in the resulting chaos, but the skilled veterans were able to quickly cut the Titans down one by one, and before long the entire horde was dead.

Levi surveyed his handiwork with satisfaction, while grimacing as he noticed the numerous casualties they'd taken.

Isabel eyed Levi in gratitude, knowing that he had saved her life yet again.

Erwin frowned grimly. "Let's get underway before more show up."

After gathering up the dead bodies of their comrades to be buried later, and giving the horde of Titans enough time to dissolve, the formation resumed their march to Wall Maria.

The rest of their journey went by fairly uneventfully, and while they had to fight a few more Titans none of them caught them by surprise, and so they were able to dispatch them more easily.

The sun had set by the time they reached Wall Maria, and the aliphants and horses were given the chance to rest, eat and drink, as were the many soldiers. Luckily for them the aliphants weren't too picky about their food, and so the grass and other wild plants they found were enough to keep the beasts sated.

After a few hours, Erwin sent several aliphants and horses to investigate and secure Shiganshina. As he expected, there were some Titans lurking about the now deserted district, but since the sun had gone down they were inactive, and killing them was easy. Before long the district was Titan free, though they would need to wait for the sun to come up to be sure of that.

This done, he had several aliphants and their crews keep watch on both the inner and outer gates of Shiganshina, in order to ensure it remained Titan free while they worked.

The following day the four large wagons carrying the building supplies and the civilian workers who would make use of them entered Shiganshina, and the following night they began their work, using extra tough bricks to build a wall to seal the outer gate.

Erwin only had them build two layers of wall, as he was confident that this would be sufficient to keep out all of the normal Titans. He found it unlikely that the bricks would be enough to keep the Armored or Colossal Titans out no matter how many layers they built, and in any case he intended to tear down the walls at some point so that the Scouts could resume their expeditions beyond Wall Maria. Consequently, there was no sense in having the brick masons do a bunch of extra work when the walls would eventually be destroyed for one reason or another.

With the brick walls completed, the task of reclaiming Wall Maria was successfully completed.

Over the next few months the Scouts maintained a base in Shiganshina, using twenty aliphants to monitor Titan activity in the area and keep the district secure.

The rest of the Scouts returned to Wall Rose to deliver the good news, and spent the next few months combing the lands of Wall Maria for Titans, using Scouts on horses to lure them toward their aliphant formations so that the great beasts could use their strength to kill the Titans. They continued these exterminations, straying further and further from Wall Rose as the Titan numbers thinned out. Shortly before the one year anniversary of the breach arrived, Wall Maria was declared safe once more. The Scouts were lauded as heroes and saviors of humanity, and all the refugees from Wall Maria headed home to rebuild their old lives.

For some, though, things would never be quite the same again. Shiganshina had been taken over by the Scouts, who were using it as a base of operations for their soldiers, horses, and aliphants, with the intention of continuing their expeditions and exterminations beyond the walls.

But since it was thanks to the Scouts that they were able to return home, the survivors didn't mind too much.

Eren, Mikasa, and Armin walked down the streets of Shiganshina, a mixture of nostalgia and grief filling them as they took in the familiar sights.

Tobias watched the three children in concern, worried about what they might be getting themselves into.

Hannes smiled, trying to keep the mood relatively light. "So, what do you think is in the basement?"

Eren looked down at the key he was holding. "I dunno. But Dad said it was something important. Now that we're home again, I'm going to find out what it was."

When the five of them reached the remains of the Yeager household, Tobias and Hannes shifted a boulder aside, exposing the door to the basement, which looked untouched.

After a moment of hesitation, the five of them descended down the stairs, with Eren leading the way, key in hand.

Author's Note: This is a concept that sounded a lot cooler in my head, but when trying to actually write it down I think something got lost in translation. Still, I hope this was at least somewhat enjoyable.

So as you could probably guess, this What If was based around what if the Scouts had war elephants. This idea was inspired by the Oliphaunts from the Lord of the Rings movies (or mumakil if you're going to be pedantic) and that's basically what I modeled the Aliphants after, given that actual elephants would be too small to be useful against the Titans. If you want a better idea of what the Aliphants look like, just search for Haradrims vs Rohan Army on youtube, and you should be able to see. The only difference is that I made it so that the Aliphants have a slight green tinge to their skin, given that they live in forests, while the Oliphaunts have a slight yellow tinge to their skin since they live in savanna environments.

I also figured, since I'm going REALLY AU with this one, I might as well change it so that Isabel didn't actually die. And I got the name Charles Dawkins from a really dumb post on the internet that had clearly gotten Charles Darwin and Richard Dawkins mixed up.

Anyways, be sure to leave a review and let me know what you thought.

And, as a treat, here's a bonus scene from another alternate scenario about how things might have played out with the Scout's Aliphant division if they hadn't been cock blocked for so long by bureaucracy.

The Female Titan jogged through the empty fields, Reiner and Bertolt precariously holding on using ropes they'd tied around her neck.

Annie still thought it was an incredibly stupid idea to continue the mission, but in the end she'd agreed with Reiner's decision to keep going. While losing Marcel was a blow, the Jaw Titan was one of the weaker members of the Nine, and so they still had a decent chance of completing their mission.

Assuming nothing else went wrong.

As the Female Titan approached a series of forests, she noticed a large group of Titans in a nearby field.

Her eyes narrowed. I'd better stay away from them. I don't want-

Suddenly, a bunch of people on horses appeared from around the forest, heading right toward the Titans.

She froze in shock. What the hell? We're nowhere near the walls yet, what are they doing here? Do they have a death wish?

She hastily ducked into the trees to avoid being spotted, and watched as the people on horseback turned around and went back the way they had come, the Titans following them closely.

She pushed her way through the trees, and froze in disbelief as she saw where the horses were heading.

In the distance was a long line of enormous animals, large enough to rival the Titans, and on their backs were saddles full of people.

The people on horseback lured the Titans directly into this line, and as they collided the animals used their brute strength to knock the Titans off balance, skewer them, crush them, trample them, and kill them.

While this was happening, occasionally some of the people would leap off of the saddles and use a strange kind of grappling hook to attack the Titans' napes with swords.

Between the enormous animals and the people with the grappling hooks, the group of Titans was slaughtered within minutes.

Annie felt her jaw dropping as she watched, and she could tell that Reiner and Bertolt were also shocked.

Things didn't improve as this group of people set up camp nearby, looking like they didn't have a care in the world.

"Well, that was a good bit of action! It's been a while since we've seen any Titans, I was starting to think that maybe we had finally killed them all!"

Annie looked down at Reiner and Bertolt, their shock giving way to dismay at the implications behind this overheard conversation.

The whole point of the mission was to breach the walls so that the Titans would flood in, and they could use the resulting chaos to blend in with the influx of refugees. But if most of the Titans were dead, to the point where the islanders were able to venture far away from the walls without fear, then breaching the wall would be completely pointless.

Annie swallowed nervously. What the hell do we do now?