Holy crap you guys! I am SO sorry about not updating for so long! Oh my god. Finals came up at my school and then cosplay shit happened and whew. Finally got this written. I should be writing more as I'm on break for two weeks!

Anyway, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR LOVE! I read all of your comments, whether they are through Instagram, Tumblr, or here. They mean a whole lots and make me squeal with happiness.

Alright, enjoy this chapter!

Ps. I'm sorry that I've made some of you cry. I know, I suck xD

Chapter 4: When We Battle

The sun beat on our faces as the merciless wind pushed back our forest green capes. I lead the group, Petra slightly hanging back to my left. So far there had been no sight of those hideous beasts, much to the displeasure of the obnoxious Hanji. The crisp scent of the forest wafted in my nose and it coursed through my veins. I felt alive and strong, nearly invincible. It was moments like these where I gained confirmation that I was where I needed to be. The thick facade I had managed to create effectively masked any trace of uncertainty that riddled my thoughts. It would be foolish to allow any form of faltering confidence to soil my leadership, and I intended to maintain my indestructible stature, even if it meant building walls around my heart as strong as Sina.

I glanced over my shoulder slightly to see the clumsy brunette boy I had taken under my wing. His face turned a shade of pink at the realization that he had come to my attention. Eren shifted uncomfortably and averted his piercing green eyes to the ground. With the hint of a smirk I turned back to face the front. "The idiot looks pretty cute for a twerp his age, " I mused to myself. My mind began to wander, then quickly snapped back to reality by Oluo.

"Heichou, I can spot a few 7 meter class about a mile to the north west," his voice was low, emitting in a growl like tone. My eyes narrowed, spotting the monsters, stumbling on their own two feet on the horizon. I bowed my head slightly, hunching over the chestnut horse below.

"I want Petra and Eld's team to target the first one, Gunther and Olup take the second and my team will head up the last," I shouted to the mass of soldiers following my lead. Wasting no time I nudged the horse bellow and pressed on towards the titans. The rhythmic beat of horse hooves intensified and as we grew closer to the barbaric creatures my grip on the reigns tightened slightly. The three had not spotted us yet, but it would only be a matter of time. As we approached the rear end of the 7-meter class, I brought my horse to a halt and released my maneuver gear chord. It latched into the broad shoulders of the titan, which lead to the creature to release a blood-curling wail of anguish and it began to slowly turn. My team, which consisted of Ackerman, Hoover, Jaeger, and Kirstein, followed obediently. Jean and Bertolt began to circle around the gigantic legs, entangling their grapple hooks and slowing the titan enough to allow Ackerman to gain a lead on the titan. She sank the blade into its back and made its way up to the neck. I jolted forward, my body flung towards the neck of the hideous beast. Then I performed my special technique, yanking the grapple out of its skin and spinning. With brute force and momentum, I made contact with the weak spot of the titan and it screeched, beginning to fall foreword.

That's when I saw him.

Eren was underneath the tumbling titan; it's shadow growing dark over his face. "EREN MOVE!" I shouted, quickly leaping towards the oblivious teen, my arms closing around him and we jetted out from under the titan in what seemed like slow motion. Finally, we landed with a breath-snatching thud on the compact dirt floor at the same time as the titan. I laid there holding the kid, my eyes closed in fear. Had we survived? I slowly came to my senses and saw that we had avoided such a untimely death. I shook a groggy Eren, gritting my teeth tightly in fury.

"You fucking brat! Pay attention next time, you could have gotten yourself killed!" I spat at him, my iron grip on his arms turning my knuckles white. His eyes were wide and tears of terror collected in the corners, "I don't have time for you to scare me like that, dammit!"

"I'm so sorry Heichou," he stuttered out, still in a haze of trauma. I looked up to see my team staring in horror and confusion. I growled in frustration.

"What are you looking at? Go help the others, just don't stand there like a bunch of dimwits." My voice was a cold as steel and they immediately complied, splitting up to aid the other teams. I dropped the teen in my arms and stood up, looking down.

"You owe me Jaeger," I grumbled, yanking his ear then running off to finish off what we had all started.

~ XxX ~

By noon we were back on track, the group reassembled quite quickly, cleaning up in the process. Thankfully, and to my surprise to be frank, we hadn't lost anyone in the small skirmish. However, I was still quite winded after the incident with Eren. Was I really going to have to babysit this child? When would he learn to take care of himself and be a man? I couldn't have him die on me, as it certainly wasn't an option at this point. We needed the kid, and on top of that I don't think I could stand seeing the little shit die, I know I wouldn't fare well if something like that occurred. I rolled my eyes subconsciously. Where were all of these emotions coming from, I couldn't allow myself to feel this way. It would ruin any hope of survival I had. These teenagers around me are just setting themselves up for failure. I can see them bonding over trivial things, such as love and friendship. Any trace of emotion will distract you from getting the important things done. I didn't have time for such games.

We rode on for hours, pressing forward and persevering the quick drop in temperature as the minutes ticked by. Petra pulled her cape close beside me and released an exhausted breath. I calculated the distance left and decided that it was fine to call it a night. Clouds pooled over our heads, obstructing the view of the moon, and leaving us in the dark. I halted my horse among some tall trees and turned to face the pack.

"We may rest here for the night." My message was simple and to the point and I jumped off the horse and grabbed onto the bags of supplies attached. I glanced around the misty forest, my breath appearing as small clouds under my nose. I could feel droplets of rain begin to sprinkle my cheeks and cape, leading me to take shelter under the arms of a great tree. I watched as everyone scurried to set up a makeshift camp before the storm rushed in, my eyes specifically taking an interest in Eren.

His hair clung to the back of his neck from the rain and his features were pulled into a grimace as he lifted and moved things around. His eyes shone through the night and his lean stature cast a long shadow on the muddy terrain below his feet. I felt a pain in my heart suddenly. What was this feeling I was having? Whatever it was, it needed to stop. But why were emotions of anguish and desperation riddling my mind every time I saw this boy? I pushed everything aside and stood, heading over to aid Petra in starting the bonfire, and clearing my thoughts.

~ XxX ~

Around 8 of us huddled around the flickering flames late that night. I glanced around at the solemn faces, their eyes dancing with the passionate fire. Sasha was huddled against Connie, their eyes emotionless and tired. Petra aimlessly threw twigs into the hungry, orange pit and Ackerman sat silently with Eren by her side. To my right, the looming Bertolt ate quietly with Krista and Ymir by his side, huddling together. The heat from the fire seemed to seer my skin and I stood up, heading over to my tent without speaking a word to anyone. As I laid in the dark shelter, I seemed to hear every droplet of water land on the surface of the forest. I hardly noticed when Eren slipped silently into the tent and into the covers of his sleeping bag. He fell silent and after a while I turned to my side, facing him.

His chest rose and fell slowly, in a lulling pattern like the rocking of a ship. I could see his long eyelashes, rimming his closed eyes and his warm, pink lips parted slightly. His hair was ruffled messily and it fell over his face slightly. I watched for a while, admiring him to myself. He looked healthy, and warm.

He looked very much alive.