A year has passed since Historia and Helmut had joined Eren, Mikasa, and Armin in Trost. Things have not gotten better for the refugees of Wall Maria. Due to the large number of people present in Wall Rose, there was a foot shortage, so the government tried to cultivate more food in the wastelands in a last-ditch attempt to avert the looming famine. Eren, Mikasa, Armin, and Historia worked day and night to scrape the land with the rest, while Helmut joined those who could not work in the fields and assisted by giving the people tools. However, it was not enough, and the food shortage persisted. The people grew increasingly afraid of what would happen next, with the government officials fearing that they would soon face riots.
And this fear was well-founded because one day, riots began to break out in the streets.
Armin, Historia, and Helmut were walking in the streets at one point when they noticed a group of people shouting at a couple of Garrison soldiers who were hoarding up the food in a carriage. Helmut stared as the crowd became more riled up at the soldiers' explanations.
"Come on, man! Give us food!" a male citizen said.
"My children need bread!" a woman nearby cried out.
"I'm sorry; rations are running low again. Until more food can be grown, these must stay in storage!" a Garrison soldier cried out, his face nearly wet from the constant sweat when facing a crowd of bloodthirsty people.
"W-What's going on?" asked Helmut, pulling Historia's hand. Historia looked at him and said,
"Rations are running low, so they say. People are starving, and the harvesting failed," she explained.
"You're right, Krista. This winter killed what little fertility the soil had in the wastelands we had worked on, so barely any food was produced. Those sets of food might be one of the last ones the city has," Armin noted grimly. Helmut looked at the two of them with a frown when suddenly, they heard a crashing sound. Helmut gasped and went to Historia, who held him close. Historia and Armin turned to look back at the crowd, seeing a soldier pulling out his rifle and aiming it at the crowd. The rest of the soldiers mimicked this motion. However, this did not deter the crowd.
"Oh, dear. Armin, w-we should probably get out of here," Historia said as she gently took Armin's hand. Armin nodded with a gulp.
"Come on, Krista and Michael. Things are gonna get out of control here," he insisted before they sped off. Helmut cringed as he listened to the crowd grow wilder, followed by banging and shouts.
Later, the three soon arrived at their little tenting area, with Eren and Mikasa sitting there as well. Helmut was fiddling with some rocks as he listened to the older kids talking with each other.
"The riots are getting out of hands," Historia explained to the trio. Armin nodded.
"The government's plans to cultivate more land failed. And they're running out of food, as we saw earlier. At this point, there could be a civil war within these walls unless…." Armin said before looking at the massive group of refugees, then at the gates. Eren looked at Armin, confused.
"What's wrong, Armin?" he asked. Armin sighed and looked at them.
"Have you heard of rumors going around that the government's planning a massive operation to reclaim Wall Maria?" he asked. Eren perked up.
"Really? How 'massive' are we talking about?" he asked, scooting closer.
"They're planning to have the majority of Wall Maria refugees to help." Armin replied.
"Wow. That's great! With that many people, we can take down as many titans as possible!" Eren proclaimed with a smile on his face. Armin, however, was not as optimistic.
"That's the problem, though. As far as I know, most of Wall Maria's citizens do not have military training. Isn't that a bit strange?" he pointed out. Eren blinked in surprise while Historia's eyes widened.
"B-But if that's true, then they can't do that! So many will die!" she said. Helmut, meanwhile, perked his head up as he listened in.
"I know, Krista. That's… that's what concerns me. But what other option is there? We don't have the tech to turn wasteland into farmland. The only other option is civil war," Armin explained as he looked at Historia. Helmut cocked his head in surprise as he crawled close to them, approaching Mikasa.
"Civil war?" he asked. The others looked at him, and Mikasa replied,
"It's nothing, Michael. We were just talking about what's going on," she assured. Helmut frowned.
"But you guys mentioned a famine and that people are going outside the walls to take the land back. What is it about it that would lead to civil war?" he asked. Historia frowned as she looked at the grounding, thinking about how to say this to them.
"Michael. Like Armin had said, there are rumors of the government preparing a big strike at the titans. But a lot of people had no training on how to fight them," she said. Armin nodded.
"This may seem a bit crazy to say, but because of how little food there is left and how little land is left to feed us…I think they're sending them as a population control so there would be less people to feed." he explained. Helmut looked at them, surprised.
"But, why? Isn't it the government's job to protect us?" he asked. Armin shook his head.
"It's MUCH more complicated than that, little guy," he said.
"From the sound of it, it doesn't seem complicated. They're just having fewer mouths to feed so they can keep their power," Eren piped in. Helmut frowned.
"That's mean," he said. Mikasa then said,
"That's the world, Michael. It has its moments of beauty, but it's cruel nonetheless," she said as she placed a hand on his shoulder. Helmut looked down, disappointed with this news. Then, a thought came into his mind, and he looked at her.
"A-Are we going to the outside?" he asked. They shook their heads immediately.
"No, of course not," Mikasa assured.
"Absolutely not, Michael," Historia added, crawling closer to Helmut.
"How do you know?" Helmut asked.
"We're too young to join in. They're mainly referring to people old enough to join the army, fifteen-years-older and up. We're good." Armin explained. Helmut looked at him, still unsure, and Historia gently took his hand.
"Don't worry. You won't be going out there. That's a promise," she comforted. This put Helmut's mind at ease before he heard Armin saying,
"Anyway, it's not us I'm worried about if these rumors are true,"
Helmut then saw Armin looking at a figure napping next to them. This was Armin's grandfather, the person keeping an eye on them. Helmut understood why: his grandfather was lovely to him and Historia, but Armin seemed to have looked up to him like Helmut would to his sister. Armin then sighed as he scratched his head.
"Let's try not to bring this up again. It's only rumors for now," he suggested. The others agreed, and Helmut went back to fiddling with the rocks.
This is terrible. If those rumors are true, then…why would the government do this? I thought they were supposed to help us, Helmut thought to himself as he moved closer to Historia, simply wanting to be with her. Historia noticed and allowed Helmut to get close to her. As she placed an arm around him, she looked at the walls separating Trost from the rest of Wall Rose.
"I wonder if people in the rest of Rose are faring any better," she mumbled to herself, and Helmut looked at her.
"Hm?" he went. Historia shook her head.
"Nothing," she mumbled, keeping her thoughts to herself.
While the four continued to survive in the streets of Trost, in a more remote corner of Wall Rose, two other siblings were also having trouble settling in.
In the woods of Wall Rose, there was a village called Dauper. It was primarily a village for hunters who hunted the local wildlife for food and tradition. However, since the fall of Wall Maria, the influx of refugees has caused the surrounding forests to be cleared up to make fields for farming. Plus, some refugees also decided to move to the village for new homes.
For many, this was unfortunate but necessary in order to survive in the changing world. Others, however, were furious about the changes due to outsiders interfering in their livelihood. This caused a rift between these villagers and the refugees; few were more apparent than between two girls.
In one corner of the village where the stables are, Florian was helping a middle-aged woman to comb the horses. The horse shook its head, snorting. Florian giggled at the sound, and the woman beside her smiled.
"Clarabelle's a beauty, ain't she?" the woman asked. Florian nodded, looking at her.
"She is, Mrs. Blouse," she replied. The woman, Mrs. Blouse, chuckled softly as she stroked Clarabelle's mane. The two remained silent for a while before Mrs. Blouse asked Florian,
"So, how is everythin' going with you and your sister, dear? Enjoyin' your stay here?"
Florian smiled and nodded before her face grew a frown and shrugged.
"It's okay. You, Mr. Blouse, and some of the people here are nice. But I see some nasty looks from some other people here. Don't even get me started on your daughter, Sasha. She hates me," she confided.
"Hmm, I see. Has she been troubling you? What did she do?" Mrs. Blouse inquired.
"Well, she hasn't done anything big lately. But I have a feeling she might have done some things lately to make me feel uncomfortable, like putting mud on my dress, placing a BIG dead mouse right next to my face when I sleep, and a spikey piece of wood on a chair when I once had breakfast!" complained Florian.
Mrs. Blouse sighed and shook her head.
"I'm so sorry, Florian. She's always like that. Has her father dealt with this?" she asked.
"Yeah. But I don't wanna go over to him over and over again! I don't want him to get frustrated at us," admitted Florian. Mrs. Blouse sighed, placed the brush down, and approached Florian.
"Florian, dear. You do not have to worry about my husband or me getting frustrated with you. It's Sasha who needs to change. People who have lost their homes had to move here to start new lives. Since things are changing, we just need to adjust. Sasha must understand, and I'm sure she will sooner or later," Mrs. Blouse comforted, gently patting Florian on the shoulder.
"I hope it's soon," replied Florian. Mrs. Blouse nodded in agreement before she then offered,
"I think we're done tending to the horses for now and lunchtime is here. Would you like some steak?"
Florian nodded with a grin.
Later on, Florian and Frieda arrived at the Blouse house, where Mr. Blouse was preparing a piece of steak. With them was Sasha, who was sitting on the opposite side of the table, and she…well, she was staring at them. Florian was feeling uncomfortable as she kept staring. Thankfully, whatever she had to say was kept within, thanks to the presence of her parents.
The dinner was awkward, but some conversation was happening, mainly about what was happening in the villages, and Mr. Blouse talked about the efforts his and his friends' efforts to help the refugees. Florian noticed Sasha wincing as he spoke about it. Ignoring it, she saw a piece of steak left on a plate. She hummed to herself as she picked up a fork and went for the piece. However, another fork pierced the steak just as hers did.
Florian blinked as she looked at Sasha, seeing a hungry look on her face. Then, the two girls made eye contact, and they narrowed their eyes. Florian made the first pull. Sasha then pulled back.
"I want this piece," Florian insisted.
"I want it too," Sasha growled.
"You have plenty of other pieces of meat. I want this one," Florian argued.
"I need it more. My stomach is empty still,"
"You ate an entire section of a rib in less than two minutes! How can you still be hungry, you freak?!"
"Florian!" scolded Frieda.
"Freak?! Says the one who lounged around in a big, spiffy mansion like a lazy cow!"
"Sasha!" Mr. Blouse reprimanded.
"At least it's better than living every day in the wild like it's the last!" retorted Florian, both girls ignoring the adults.
"You wouldn't know crap about living your life to the fullest if Death comes to ya' doorsteps!" Sasha shouted.
"Boar!"
"Bitch!"
While this was going on, the steak piece was being torn by the two girls pulling it from one side to another with each insult. At this point, Sasha yanked her fork back, causing the plate and Florian to move forward, causing her to land on the table. Frieda and Mrs. Blouse gasped in shock as Sasha pulled the steak away and bit into it triumphantly.
"Sasha! That's our guest!" Mr. Blouse said as he stood up while Frieda and Mrs. Blouse helped Florian up. Sasha just ignored him as she savored the small steak in her mouth.
"Florian, are you alright?" asked Frieda. Florian grunted as she dusted herself.
"I'm fine," she muttered.
"Sasha! Get that damned meat out of your mouth!" Mr. Blouse demanded as he tried to wrestle it out of Sasha's mouth, with little success. Florian grunted as she then stepped back.
"I...I wanna be alone," she said before stomping off to the guest room, despite Frieda calling for her. She then pressed herself against the door, struggling to hold in tears.
What did I do to Sasha? Just because I've lost my home because we befriended Historia and Helmut doesn't mean I'm here to ruin everything for Sasha! Florian thought to herself just as she heard the front door launching open and Mr. Braus and Sasha fighting outside. Florian sighed as she laid her head against the door. Then, there was a period of silence before Mr. Braus said,
"What am I gonna do with ya, girl? You know that these girls were chased out of their homes because their father got involved with the wrong people,"
Florian moved to the window to look at what was going on. She saw Sasha hiding behind a tree while glaring at her father.
"It's their fault for getting involved in the first place. Same as those people who had their homes taken," growled Sasha. Mr. Braus blinked at his daughter in shock and replied,
"The titans had kicked down a hole in Wall Maria. That was beyond their control. A similar thing happened with the Reiss girls. Where else were they supposed to go?!"
Florian stared on in indignation and noticed Sasha faintly looking down. She then noticed Mr. Braus walking to the stairs leading to the front door. He sat down and placed a hand on his forehead.
"Sasha, I think it might be time our family lets go of our forest and give up on hunting. We'd get more food by clearing down the forests and growing grain. Not to mention, the government said they'd pay us, and every horse we have is money in our pockets," he said. Sasha was speechless!
"What?! You've gotta be jokin'! If we give up huntin', we'd be given' up who we are! Who cares about the people who make fun of the way we live?!" she protested. Florian narrowed her eyes, but Mr. Braus replied,
"Simple. Because we're part of the same world. We humans, we're all pack animals,"
Florian and Sasha looked at him as he walked past the latter, stopping a few feet away.
"Yes, we all live in different ways. But in the end, when space is so short, we're gonna have to-"
"NO! I refuse! We can't just abandon what we've been taught by our ancestors. Screw the greater good, what about us?!" bellowed Sasha.
Upon hearing that, Florian gasped slightly. She lowered herself from visibility and pressed her head against the wall below the window. She did not hear the rest of the conversation; she was too shocked at how close-minded Sasha was being.
That…that bitch! I can't believe this! Why would she think that?! It's not our fault all of this has happened! Why?! Florian thought as she gritted her teeth, tears streaming down. She gulped down a sob, shivering.
After a while, she heard the sound of a door slamming, making her flinch. Florian briefly looked up through the window to see Mr. Braus, still standing outside, pinching the bridge of his nose. Florian sighed as she soon straightened herself.
Nothing's gonna change that girl's mind. You know what, Sasha? Fine. I'll give you what you want, she thought to herself before walking away from the window.
Florian walked down the stairs, past Frieda and Mrs. Braus, who were still cleaning up the mess they had left behind. Florian heard them talking about what a disaster it had been, and Frieda stated that she's gonna talk with Florian. Florian sighed to herself as she wiped her eyes.
You don't need to worry about me anymore, sis, thought Florian before she walked to the back door leading to the backyard. She looked around, noticing that only a bow and arrow stuck out from the rest. They were lying on top of a tree stump. Florian then walked over to them and picked them up.
"Hm. Sh-Shouldn't be too hard to use them. Just aim and fire," she mumbled before she placed them both over her shoulder, turned back to look at the house, took a deep breath, and walked off into the woods.
Some time passed, and Frieda felt that Florian had calmed enough for her to talk to her.
Frieda walked up the stairs and opened the door to the Guest Room.
"Florian. Can we talk?" she asked as she walked inside. However, to her surprise, Florian was not in the room. Frieda looked around, looking for any sign of her. Then, she noticed the closet door slightly open.
"Florian. Florian, we need to talk about this," she explained as she walked over and opened the door further. But there was no sign of Florian in there either. Frieda began to grow concerned. So she left the room and returned to the living room to find Mr. and Mrs. Blouse.
"Excuse me, have you seen Florian?" asked Frieda. The two looked at her and grew confused.
"No. Have you checked the guest room?" asked Mr. Braus. Frieda nodded. The two looked at each other in concern before they joined in on the search. However, they could not find her anywhere in the house. At one point, they arrived at Sasha's room, where Sasha was sitting on her bed, resting. They asked her if she had seen Florian, and she replied,
"No. I haven't seen her. Why?"
This caused alarm among the rest of the family! They told her that Florian was not anywhere in the house. Sasha widened her eyes in shock.
Before long, Frieda, Mrs. Braus, and Sasha began to search outside the house while Mr. Braus gathered a search party. Sasha was in the backyard when she noticed that the bow and arrows had gone missing. She groaned.
"She stole my bow and arrows!" she growled as she approached the tree stump. After looking around for where they were, Sasha looked at the trees. Her eyes noticed something unusual hanging on a branch. She approached and plucked it from the branch.
It was a strand of black hair. Since Frieda had been inside the house the whole time and Florian's no longer with them, Sasha managed to put two and two together and narrowed her eyes.
"She's out in the woods. If she's heading to THAT part…ugh, I can't believe I'm doing this," she said before she walked back to the house, leaving a few moments later with another bow and stash of arrows.
"I don't like you, Florian. But if you die thanks to the Endling, I'm gonna drag you out of hell and kill you myself," she growled before walking in the direction of the woods.
Further inside the woods, Florian walked through the trees, fear but determination set in her mind. She looked around the woods, briefly admiring the scenery surrounding her. The bright sunlight shone through the leaves, water droplets visible, as the sounds of bird chirps echoed throughout. Florian smiled, briefly forgetting about the troubles of her past.
This is much better than looking at pictures in a book, she thought. However, she was not paying attention to where she was going. A root was sticking out of the ground, and her left boot tripped. Florian gasped and barely managed to keep herself from falling on the ground headfirst.
"Phew. That was close," she mumbled as she straightened herself. That was when she heard something further up ahead. It sounded like the sound of running water. Florian beamed as she sped ahead.
Before long, she arrived at a clearing with a river cutting through. Florian looked on and admired the clear water. Suddenly, she heard something moving on the other side. Florian gasped and hid behind the bushes as the noise source soon revealed itself.
It was a deer.
Florian widened her eyes and smiled.
It's beautiful. Look at the antlers! She thought as the deer soon approached the water. It looked around for anything suspicious before leaning down to drink water. Florian looked at the deer before remembering that she had bows and arrows. That was when she also remembered what she was out here for.
With a frown, Florian reached for her bow, grabbed an arrow, and soon aimed at the deer. She closed one eye and aimed the arrow toward the deer. The problem was that she was breathing uncontrollably, and her arms were not strong enough to pull the bowstring far enough. Florian gulped.
Then, the wind started to blow from behind her. Florian felt the breeze brush up against her, not knowing that the wind was heading toward the deer. The deer perked its head up and looked in Florian's direction. Florian gasped as she realized what was happening. She thus shot the arrow ahead. But it was not done properly, and the arrow hit the rock on the side of the deer. As the arrow landed on the ground, the deer grunted and fled.
Florian grunted as she stood up and kicked around. As the rock fell into the water, Florian heard,
"If you wish to hunt, you might wanna stay downwind,"
Florian gasped and turned to see Sasha, with her back against a tree and looking at her, unimpressed. Florian sighed and rolled her eyes.
"I knew that," she muttered.
"Then you should also know that, from what I've seen, you were aiming your, sorry, MY, bow and arrow poorly," Sasha retorted. Florian groaned.
"What do you want? You here to make fun of me?" she asked. Sasha moved from the tree and walked to her.
"Not really. I came here so I can PERSONALLY kill you," she growled, eyes growing sharp. Florian blinked in surprise and stepped back just as Sasha grabbed her dress.
"W-What?" asked Florian.
"Who in their right mind would go into the woods alone?! Especially one who has NO idea of the forest's layout like the back of their hands?!" demanded Sasha as she shook Florian. Florian managed to wrestle her grip off of her.
"What does it matter? I'm giving you what you want," she explained.
"What I want? I don't want you to put yourself in danger!" scolded Sasha. Florian then narrowed her eyes.
"I'm trying to be a hunter so I don't end up being an outsider to you! You always looked at me like I'm some alien, so maybe-" she began before Sasha cut her off with a sharp,
"Don't give me that! I don't care if ya killed a giant fuckin' boar! You'll always be an outsider because that's who you are. You, your sister, and all the other refugees came into our homes and are destroying our livelihoods! This forest has been a part of our village for generations, and it's being destroyed because of you lot!"
"FUCK YOU, SASHA!" bellowed Florian, her voice echoing across the trees. Sasha winced at the loudness of Florian's voice. Florian stared at her, tears threatening to stream down.
"I've tried being polite to you ever since Frieda and I came here! But you've always been such a bitch to us all because of something we cannot control! My sister had raised an illegitimate child of my father for the past ten years AND a baby boy that had stolen something precious from our family for five of those years. That precious thing was our family's identity for a century. Yet, Frieda kept it a secret for the safety of my half-sister and her brother! I went with her to see them for myself; they're some of the best friends I could ever have!
"Our family soon found out and tore us apart! Now we're disgraced, and my friends are possibly dead or something! I don't know, because I haven't seem them for the past year! Now it's just me and my older sister just struggling to make ends meet, and YOU have not been helping at all! So give me a fucking break!" Florian shouted as all the past year's frustration that had been building up was finally released; her voice nearly cracked at the end of her speech. Sasha stared on in shock as Florian soon collapsed onto her knees.
"I…I don't know what you want from me. Just leave me alone. That's all I ask," whimpered Florian before she began crying, covering her face with her hands.
Sasha, for her part, stood there, frozen in shock by what Florian had said. She slowly lifted her hands to her mouth as she thought,
Oh god. I…I didn't know about any of that.
The two remained in place as Florian continued to cry, and Sasha let her let out her tears. Suddenly, Sasha's senses picked up something coming up from behind Florian. She tensed up as her trained hearing picked up footsteps. They were very heavy, yet quiet. Sasha immediately approached her and grabbed Florian's hands.
"Florian. Get up," she demanded. Florian blinked in confusion as Sasha pulled her up.
"Get to the other side of the river and hide, NOW!" she instructed. Florian gasped as Sasha pushed her to the river, and the hunter jumped to the other side. She then stretched her arms out so she'll catch her. But Florian hesitated.
"B-But why? What's going on?!" she asked.
"The Endling's coming. Come on, I'll catch you!" Sasha insisted.
"The Endling?"
"Yes, I'll explain in a bit what it is, but you need to know that it's a dangerous predator. Come on; I'll catch you!"
Florian remained apprehensive, but she didn't want to risk getting eaten. So, with a sigh, she jumped across the river as high as she could. Sasha managed to catch her, and only Florian's boots got into the river. Sasha patted her and then guided her to the bushes just in time.
On the other side of the river, a huge bear soon appeared from the bushes. Florian got a good look at the bear and widened her eyes in shock. The bear, at the shoulder hump, was 2.7 meters tall and sported a dark brown coloration with dark white patterns on its face.
What was even more shocking was the number of scars across the body: bullet and arrow holes across the hide, claw marks barely visible from its underbelly, and parts of its mouth were missing. Florian gasped silently in horror.
"Sasha? What is that?" she whispered. Sasha tensed up as she looked at the bear.
"That's the Endling; the last of its kind of bear, called a Cave Bear. It's the largest and most elusive predator in these walls, and after having tasted human blood a few years back, it's certainly a Man Eater," replied Sasha. Florian widened her eyes at Sasha's description and began to shiver. Sasha then placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it.
"Listen to me, Florian. I know these woods like the back of my hand. You do what I tell you, and we'll both survive this. Understand?" she instructed. Florian nodded, ignoring any disdain she had for her before. Sasha then gestured for her to crawl back while lying on the ground. Florian nodded, and so they did.
The sounds of leaves and twigs being slowly pushed aside made Florian and Sasha tense up, but so far, things were going well. The bear was distracted by the water to pay any attention to what was happening around it.
Then, the wind began to blow again from behind the girls. Florian didn't notice, but Sasha widened her eyes.
The wind's blowing upwind against us. That means our scent's being carried with it. And it's heading right for, Sasha thought as the wind moved toward the bear.
The bear stopped drinking their water as its nose picked up another scent. It lifted its head and began sniffing the air. Sasha gasped and froze up as Florian looked at her.
"Sasha. What's going on?" she asked. Sasha grabbed her hand.
"The air breezed upwind against us and carried our scent to the bear. The bear found us!" Sasha explained as the bear looked at where they were hiding. The bear then began to move forward.
"RUN!" Sasha ordered as she forced Florian and herself up and began to run, just as the bear charged across the river!
The two girls ran across the trees as the bear charged forward. Thanks to its size and muscles, the bear could get close to them rapidly. Sasha noticed and decided to take a gamble. She got her bow and arrow, spun around, and as her feet skidded across the ground, she took aim and fired an arrow right at the bear's left eye. The bear roared in pain as it shook its head, disoriented. This caused the bear to soon collapse to the ground. Sasha gasped as she soon fell to the ground. She, however, recovered fast enough to barely avoid getting crushed by the bear's body.
Florian looked back in shock as the bear fell to the ground. She then noticed Sasha still on the ground. She rushed back to the hunter and picked her up.
"Come on! I don't know what you did, but we gotta move!" she insisted. Sasha grunted from the pain, but she looked back to see the bear slowly getting up. Sasha then noticed a large tree with branches big enough for them to sit on.
"Hey, can ya climb?" asked Sasha. Florian nodded, so Sasha pushed her to the tree.
"Climb and do it fast!" Sasha insisted. Florian was confused, but the bear's growls filled her with determination, and she joined Sasha in climbing up the tree. The bear, now having lost its eye, turned to look at the girls climbing up a tree. The bear then got up and charged at them, standing up to its full 12 feet tall height on its hind legs and snapped its jaws at Florian's feet, barely missing her.
Sasha then pulled Florian as they got to a branch.
"What do we do now?!" asked Florian. Sasha then got an arrow out.
"We shoot it, obviously!" retorted Sasha.
"Shoot it?! You saw how many wounds it has?!" argued Florian.
"It's not invincible! I've hunted bears before; I know how to take one down! Besides, it's better than sitting around and waiting to die!" Sasha barked, silencing Florian before she got her arrow ready. The bear roared and swung its paw, barely missing Sasha's legs. Sasha grunted as she pulled her legs back before firing an arrow at the bear's shoulder. The bear roared in pain as it pulled back.
"W-Where are you hitting at?" asked Florian.
"The broadside of the bear, just 4-5 inches from its shoulder. Problem is, because it's so big, it's gonna take a lot of arrows to bring it down. Thankfully, we should be safe up here as long as we don't lose balance or he pushes too hard!" Sasha replied as she fired another arrow at the bear's broadside.
"W-What can I do?" asked Florian.
"You've got my other arrows. Just shoot at it with them!"
"B-But I don't know how! You're better at this than I am,"
Sasha looked at her, and this time, instead of irritation and anger, her eyes had understanding but insistence.
"I know that. But at this point, it's kill or be killed." she said as she aimed an arrow.
"It's like this! Just pull back, aim carefully at the bear's shoulder and," she said before firing another arrow, hitting the bear's leg. Sasha winced.
"A little higher would've worked. But you get the idea!" she said as she instructed. The bear then charged at the tree, ramming its body against it. While the tree was big, it still shook it, causing the girls to cling onto the tree. When the shaking stopped, the bear stood up and reached upward, trying to get at the girls. Florian gasped and got her bow ready.
"Just aim for it, take a deep breath, and fire when ready," Sasha instructed as she moved her legs away from the bear. Florian gritted her teeth as she aimed at the bear's disfigured jaw. She fired, and the arrow pierced the mouth. The bear grunted as it shook the arrow off and got away from the tree.
"I got the mouth," Florian said as she looked at Sasha.
"Great. But you gotta get the sides. No worries, though. I got it!" she instructed before shooting another arrow at the bear's shoulder.
For a while, the process repeated, with the bear trying to get up at them and Sasha and Florian shooting their arrows at it. They were running low on arrows, but the bear seemed to be getting weaker yet more desperate in its attacks.
Suddenly, the bear ran to the tree and, to their shock, began to climb slowly. Sasha and Florian gasped in surprise.
"I-I didn't think it could climb!" Florian exclaimed as she looked at Sasha, who shook her head.
"Neither can I. I thought it was too big!" Sasha replied. Panic soon began to sweep in the girls as the bear got closer. Suddenly, Sasha remembered something: a knife she always kept in her dress. She pulled it out, and Florian looked at her.
"What are you trying to do?!" asked Florian as Sasha stood up, the bear inching closer.
"Something risky, but if I'm gonna die, I'd rather take this beast with me! Hey, Florian," Sasha explained as she looked at Florian. The girls looked at each other, and Sasha grew a remorseful look.
"If I fail at this and die, then consider this as a way of making it up to you for how I treated you," she said before getting herself ready. Florian gasped at her, but before she could reply, Sasha jumped off the branch and, with all the strength she had, she plunged the knife deep into the bear's side. The momentum of the fall caused the knife to split open, causing the bear to roar in pain. It stepped back and fell onto its side, causing Sasha to lose grip on her knife and tumble next to the bear. Florian gasped in fright as she got another arrow out.
"GET AWAY FROM HER!" she bellowed as she fired the arrow into the bear's open wound. The bear roared in pain as Sasha got up. She noticed Florian firing her arrows at the bear, some hitting the wound while others missed entirely. She then noticed the knife still stuck in the bear's side. Noticing that the bear was about to get up, Sasha waited for the next arrow, then rushed forward and pulled the knife out. Florian stopped shooting as Sasha went to the bear's neck and repeatedly stabbed it with her knife, letting out shouts of anger with each stab. The bear roared weakly before she jabbed it in the back of its head.
Before long, the giant cave bear slumped to the ground as the knife penetrated its back skull and destroyed the brain. It was finally dead.
Sasha panted as she no longer felt the bear moving. She stepped back and looked at her hands before they began shivering. Then, she heard Florian climbing down the tree and approaching her.
"Sasha? Are you okay?!" asked Florian. Sasha looked at her and seeing the look of fear and concern on her face made her quiver. Then, without thinking, she pulled Florian into a hug and began to cry. Florian was taken aback by this, but once she heard Sasha crying, she also began to cry. The two of them collapsed to the ground, holding each other in place as the realization that they had nearly died hit them.
"I… I'm so sorry, Sasha," whimpered Florian. Sasha shook her head as she tightened her hug.
"N-No. I'm the one who should be sorry for how I've been," she replied.
As they hugged each other, they heard rapid footsteps approaching them, followed by shouts of alarm and concern. Soon, Mr. Braus and his search party arrived and saw what had happened. Mr. Braus got off his horse and inspected the girls.
"Are you two alright?!" asked Mr. Braus. The girls looked at him and nodded, still too shaken to speak. Mr. Braus then looked at the bear and approached it. He placed a hand on its body, not feeling it moving whatsoever. All the while, comments from the search party rang in his ears.
"Is the Endling dead?"
"No way. After all this time, it was these two girls that did him in?"
"Wow. After so many deaths thanks to this hairy bastard, the Endling's finally gone! Three cheers for Sasha Braus and…whoever that girl is!"
Cheers soon began to erupt from the party, but Mr. Braus and the girls were in no celebratory mood. Florian and Sasha simply looked at each other, anxious about what's gonna happen next.
Some time went by, and everyone soon went home. Sasha and Florian were greeted with hugs, kisses, and scolding of a lifetime from Mrs. Braus and Florian, respectively. The girls were grounded for three weeks. Frieda wanted to punish Florian much more harshly, but Mr. Braus talked her into softening the punishment after telling her about the Endling.
That night, as everyone was celebrating with meat from the dead bear, Florian was inside the guest room. She looked outside and hummed at how delicious the meat looked.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. She turned and noticed Sasha walking inside with a piece of meat. She had crumbs on her face, signifying that she had eaten the meat before.
"Hey," said Sasha with a slight smile. Florian smiled back slightly as well.
"Hey. Aren't you grounded too?" she asked. Sasha nodded.
"But that doesn't mean I don't want you to feel left out. You helped out in taking out the Endling!" Sasha replied as she closed the door and sat next to her on the bed. Florian smiled and looked at the plate.
"Thanks, Sasha. But I'm not hungry," she explained. Sasha looked at her with confusion before she grew a smile.
"Welp, more for me!" she cheered before gobbling down the meat. Florian looked at her and smiled. Then, a thought came into her mind.
"Hey, uh…so what's the deal with the Endling?" asked Florian. Sasha's smile faltered as she looked down.
"The Endling is the name we gave to that bear. My dad said that the bear was the last of its kind. Thousands of years ago, before humanity came to build these walls, the world was very different from today. All sorts of strange creatures were much bigger than the ones we knew. The Endling's kind, called Cave Bears, was one of those. However, the world changed around it, and these creatures began to die off.
"One group of Cave Bears survived in this piece of land and was present when humanity built these walls when the titans first appeared. However, they too, began to disappear. Why? Well, it's because while the rest of the animal kingdom changed…the bear's kind did not. They remained too big and aggressive, so they were hunted down…leaving only that one we had just killed.
"He was a hassle in our village. Many good people and some of our horses disappeared because of him. In the past five years, 25 people from our village, as well as nearby hunting villages, were killed. Many great hunters tried to hunt it down. But they often underestimated it,"
Sasha soon stopped speaking before she looked at the plate where the meat once was. She then briefly got up to look outside, seeing everybody else celebrating and talking about how at least one of their problems was dealt with. Sasha then looked down.
"After lunch today, dad and I had a talk about how things are going in the outside world. About how the refugees are stealing all of our game, and dad said-"
"I know. I overheard. The window to my room was left open," interrupted Florian. Sasha looked at her, confused. Shen then frowned and said,
"Then you've probably heard about how dad said that if I'm sticking to my old traditions, then I shouldn't expect help from the people I turned my back to. As much as I hate to admit it, dad's right; the world's changing. And after seeing the Endling die from our hands and having known about it my whole life," she began, pausing to gulp before looking at Florian.
"Florian. My views on this whole debacle, about how I believe we should never abandon our traditions no matter what, that's not gonna change. Ever. But I should not have to take my frustrations out on you. You were right; what happened wasn't your fault. I'm very sorry for…well, for being a bitch to you and your sister this past year," she confessed, tears beginning to stream down. Florian stared at her and noticed how remorseful she genuinely looked.
"It's just… it's not fair. I've known this place my whole life, and seeing everything change…well, scares me. But I know it's no excuse. Do you think we can start over?" pleaded Sasha. Florian looked away and pondered on the decision. Then, an idea came into her mind, so she stood up and extended her hand.
"Hi. I'm Florian Reiss!" she greeted. Sasha looked at her and raised a brow.
"W-What are ya doin'?" she asked.
"Starting over, as you said. So, let me repeat myself. I'm Florian Reiss! Nice to meet you. May I have your name?" Florian replied with a cheeky yet friendly smile. Sasha couldn't help but giggle, and she took the hand.
"I'm Sasha. Sasha Braus! Nice to meet you, too!" she said. Florian smiled, and the two girls giggled. Then, the two began to talk to each other. Almost as if they had never been enemies in the first place.
Outside, Frieda walked to the guest room, holding a piece of steak. She had a pitiful look on her face.
I knew I had to punish Florian. But at the same time, I do feel a bit bad for leaving her out of the party. *sigh* I hope she…wait, Frieda thought to herself before she heard laughing coming from inside. Frieda could tell that it was Florian and Sasha laughing, so she raised a brow in intrigue and opened the door. She looked inside and saw Florian and Sasha indeed laughing. They then looked at her and stopped. Frieda giggled softly.
"Sorry for interrupting you. I was wondering if you'd like some steak, Florian. I feel a bit bad for leaving you out of the party, so," Frieda began before Florian said,
"No worries. You can bring it in. Sasha and I were just starting over!"
Frieda blinked in surprise before looking at Sasha, who nodded before looking at the steak.
"If she doesn't want it, can I have it?" she asked. Frieda giggled and nodded.
"Maybe. Do you want it, Florian?" she asked. Florian pondered for a while and decided to nod.
"Yeah, why not?" she agreed. Sasha gasped.
"I thought you said you weren't hungry before!" she whined.
"I am now!" teased Florian. Sasha pouted, and the scene made Frieda laugh.
"I'm glad to see you two made up. I hope this means no more fighting, and no more running away," she reminded. Florian and Sasha nodded. Then Frieda asked,
"Hey…if it's okay with you both? Mind if I join in?"
They nodded happily!
"Everything's more fun with you, big sis!" admitted Florian. Frieda was flattered by this before she walked inside and closed the door.
"So, what did I miss? What were you two talking about?" she asked.
The three then continued to talk to each other throughout the whole night! For Florian and Frieda, it was nice to finally be accepted by everyone within the family. And for Sasha, while she'd still hold onto her beliefs, it was nice to listen to stories about one of these outsiders and not get hostile for once. Maybe, a friendship might grow between them.
The rest of the night was full of pride and joy for everyone! However, as many say, this would only be the calm before the storm, as the rumors Armin had described continued to be scattered throughout the walls, and people wondered if they were true.
Soon, they would have their answer…
AN: Hey, everyone! Superkoola here, again!
Another chapter of this story is done! I won't lie; even though Helmut is supposed to be the main protagonist of this story, it does feel great to write about the other characters outside of him, Historia and the Shiganshina trio. I don't know why; it just does. Maybe that's why I like the original show so much!
Anyway…I don't have anything else to say about this chapter, so I hope you enjoy it! Leave any criticisms if you have any, and stick around for more!