Hello again, everyone! As a few of you may know I was working on my short pwp Evening Liasons this weekend, so I didn't get much of a chance to work on ASR. I apologize, I just felt like writing some dirty, raunchy sex haha.

Anyway, I hope people are still reading this o.o I have so many ideas of where I'd like to go with this fic and I hope you guys stick with me.

One thing I've noticed going back and looking through screenshots are that Eren's eyes are more blue-green/turquoise colored than green in his close-ups, so I've changed my story to reflect that.

Also, I usually don't like OC's unless they are really well written, and I don't really like pairing them up with any legit characters. Rook was a totally unexpected development when I started writing this story. Because I wanted an antagonist and because I wanted to develop an original plotline involving the characters of SNK without making it an AU, I had to come up with some baddies of my own. I hope it doesn't bother other people who may not like OC's, but I assure you, they are not self inserts so I hope you guys don't mind.

I plan to keep the OC's limited to 2 right now. I promise to give Rook more backstory soon.

Also, feel free to follow me on tumblr! I post ideas, delicious ereri and free! pics, and funny stuff. I'll also post status updates on how chapters are coming along as well. My url is www. Azshalade . tumblr. com without the spaces.

Alright, enough boring you to tears with my notes. Hope you enjoy!

(Because I'm too lazy to put that many quotation marks I italicized the voice's dialogue and left Rook's alone, so that you can follow who's talking)

You fool, what have you done? You've just aided the very enemy you've sworn your entire life to eradicate.

The all too familiar voice rang inside his head, demanding his attention. It had been uncharacteristically silent since the incident, much to Rook's relief. The redheaded youth attempted to ignore the voice at first; delighted when he heard nothing but silence for a moment.

It was a short lived reprieve, however.

Do not act like my words fall on deaf ears. Do you think she will forgive you? You know that she despises the self-proclaimed heroes of the Scouting Legion.

But you tried to kill the hostage! If we had just captured him and taken him back to the Military Police we would not have suffered a near fatal wound and imprisonment.

Irrelevant. Why should I listen to the whims of simpering cowards? Had the boy transformed the outcome would have been the same. I was simply testing the truth of the rumors surrounding him. Had we been deceived and he was not truly capable of shifting then months of planning and preparations would have been wasted.

Is it really alright for us to use the boy for our own selfish desires?

SELFISH? Bite your tongue! What the organization is planning to achieve is salvation of every human being in existence. They are mindless sheep blissfully unaware that they are traveling down the road to ruin. We must be their shepherds and guide them down the righteous path.

But how do we know that the ones devoured by titans reach paradise? No one has come back from the dead to tell what awaits us on the other side.

There is one who has achieved apparent reincarnation.

You mean…Jaeger?

Yes. The boy was devoured shortly after the breach of Wall Maria, and yet still he lives and breathes. He may hold the key to the divine truth.

But he was branded a heretic for taking the form of a titan at will.

That was the ruling of the Council, not of our Lady. She believes that the boy may indeed be a savior. He has somehow evolved into the highest form of existence. If there is a way for us to harness this power and spread it amongst a chosen few then we may be able to achieve our dream of cleansing this world and saving humanity from eternal damnation even sooner than we'd hoped.

If he is the key, then why is the Council set on destroying the Scouting Legion? Are they not his protectors? What if he is killed before our plans come to fruition?

Think about it you imbecile. If he is constantly surrounded by guardians how will we ever capture him and achieve our goals?

But the Council wants him dead…is that not why we were hired to capture his friend and lead him back to the city?

The Council are a bunch of senile old fools that cannot see the divine wisdom of our illustrious Lady. She would never have allowed to boy to be killed so easily.

Then…she plans to overthrow the Council?

Our Lady plans to dispose of them one by one, plucking them like weeds from a garden. Their presence is inhibiting our growth and they must be eradicated. However, it must be done slowly, very slowly, like poison spreading through the body. If they were to catch wind of her deceit they would surely have her killed and humanity would suffer a crushing blow.

But what does this grand scheme have to do with us? With this one? Everything has changed now that we are imprisoned. This one has failed Our Lady. Surely she will disown us.

Rook…we have not failed. Your role now is to protect Eren Jaeger, to befriend him and earn his trust. If he believes that you are no longer a threat he may confide in you about the source of his power. In hindsight your decision to warn him of the impending attack may have been a very important first step in accomplishing this. Well done, you have surpassed my expectations. Our Lady would be proud.

….

Rook was extremely relieved that he was alone at that moment; if someone had witnessed his dialogue with the invisible entity he would likely be forced to explain his statements. It was not an ideal position to be in, considering he had no idea how to explain that the voice inside of his head was a completely separate being from himself and felt as real to him as flesh and blood.

The redhead's appearance had suffered considerably since his capture. He now looked rather gaunt from not having eaten a proper meal in days. He hadn't had any extra weight to spare in the first place and his current food deprivation was already beginning to take a toll on him; he felt completely drained of energy and it was hard to focus on anything but the rumbling in his gut. He hadn't seen the one they called Hanji since that morning, and only one member of the medical staff had come to change his bandages that day when normally it was forbidden to approach him alone.

His wound was beginning to heal rather nicely. The stitches that Hanji had placed managed to stay intact and hold the flesh together, aiding in the process of mending. Rook was actually rather fortunate that the Corporal knew human anatomy as well as titan; had be strayed off the mark a few centimeters the blade surely would have pierced his heart.

It would have been mercy…we would not regret dying now, not after we have failed her…Our Lady…so beautiful, so intelligent, so deadly…this one is nothing but a cockroach in her presence. But if we were to die now we would not have the chance to redeem ourselves in her eyes. If I can bring her Eren Jaeger the Lady may embrace me once more…

His thoughts trailed off as his golden eyes picked up on a skittering motion just at the edge of his peripheral vision. Turning to look he spotted a spider crawling down the wooden walls of the infirmary, just close enough to his cot to be within reach. It was breathtakingly beautiful; its black body caught the light from a nearby window, glistening in the midday sun. The most striking feature of the spider was the impressively sized crimson hourglass on her abdomen, signifying perhaps that when she struck her victim their time would be cut short, her venom coursing through their veins rapidly as they struggled to survive.

So gorgeous…it is as if the Lady has sent a messenger to reassure us. Do not worry milady, this one will do his very best not to disappoint you ever again.

The spider lowered herself to the ground on an impossibly strong line of webbing and skittered across the cold stone floor to disappear into a minute crack in the wall. Rook had hoped that the spider would stay near him just a bit longer and comfort him in his self-doubt. However fleeting her presence, it had given the redhead the ray of hope he needed to carry him through, and for that he was grateful. As much as he despised being contained like some kind of rabid animal he knew that he must have faith in his Lady's plan.

There is naught to do now but wait. Until we meet again, Eren Jaeger, I shall remain here and endure.

Eren, Levi and the other members of his squad were almost an hour's journey into the thick forest surrounding the castle, riding swiftly along the dirt path as fast as their steeds could carry them. Urgency was at the front of everyone's minds; a titan attack, no matter how large or small the scale, was a serious matter, especially when they ventured so close to the forest. Were they to breach the thicket of trees the notion that titans did not voluntarily enter forests would be completely thrown out the window and extra precautions would need to be taken to guard against surprise attacks. That took time and manpower, something that the Scouting Legion could not spare at the moment.

At first the members of Levi's squad had grumbled and groaned about working on their day off; that was until Hanji alerted them to the fact that a possible titan attack was about to take place. She conveniently left out one small detail, however; that she and Levi really had no idea if there even was going to be an attack. They had reluctantly taken Eren's word for it, knowing deep down inside that the teen was taking the advice of a criminal and potentially leading them into a trap.

It didn't take them long to figure out the situation, however. Not when Levi looked so apprehensive, whereas normally he wore a mask of indifference and boredom on their missions.

Eren had a determined look on his face; thick brows knitted in concentration and blue-green eyes full of fury. He mercilessly dug his heels into Phoenix's sides to urge her forward faster, a command that the horse did not seem to mind as she worked her powerful leg muscles, covering more ground in one stride than Eren thought possible for an animal. Her speed even outmatched Onyx, who was normally the fastest horse on the field. If Levi wasn't so pissed off at the brat he would have been impressed at Eren's riding prowess. He didn't miss a beat, positioning himself so that he moved with Phoenix instead of against her, effortlessly staying in just the perfect spot on his saddle to avoid creating wind resistance.

Shitty brat, you'd better pray to whatever God you believe in that there really are titans out here or I'll knock more than one tooth out of your mouth.

Levi had not been a fan of the idea of listening to the brunette; however, it would be a disservice to the rest of his men to ignore something that could be a threat to their very existence. Reluctantly he'd agreed to gather his squad and ride out, not particularly wanting to encounter any titans but not wanting to waste their time on a wild goose chase either. He hoped that if there were any titans that they would not be aberrants; he was in no mood for crab walking giants at the moment.

As they neared the edge of the forest he slowed Onyx's pace, motioning for the others to do so as well.

"Everyone listen up, here's the plan; Petra, you and Auruo ride east and scan the area for titans; Gunter and Erd, you ride west and do the same. Eren and I will continue riding north. If you spot any titans, normal or aberrant, send the appropriate smoke signal. Should you be vastly outnumbered immediately retreat and come find me," Levi ordered, eyes set forward as he spoke.

"Yes, sir!" they all said in unison, splitting off from the group and heading in their respective directions. Once they departed Levi set his sights on Eren, who was riding a few meters ahead of him. He urged Onyx to catch up, cursing the brunette for attempting to run off on his own. Once the horses were running nose and nose he shot Eren a nasty glare.

"Oi! Where do you think you're going, Jaeger? We work as a team on my squad or we don't work at all, so I suggest you slow the fuck down before I knock your ass right off of that horse," Levi barked, having to shout to make sure that he was heard. Eren reluctantly met his gaze with a look of trepidation; whether it was from the prospect of fighting an unknown amount of enemies or just from the way Levi had threatened him he couldn't be sure.

"Sorry…" he muttered under his breath, not really caring whether Levi heard the half-hearted apology or not. The older male had picked up on it but decided that he wasn't quite ready to forgive the brunette just yet. It was time to change the subject.

"Once we reach the edge of the forest I want you to use your gear and find the tallest tree in the vicinity; if there are titans I don't want to be caught unaware on the ground, it would be a severe disadvantage even with the fastest horses in the Legion. Understand, Eren?" Levi emphasized the brunette's name to make damn sure he was being listened to.

It seemed to work; Eren looked at him wide-eyed, lucky that Phoenix was smart enough to dodge rocks and branches on her own because his attention was not focused on the path before him.

"Yes, sir!" Eren shouted over the sound of wind rushing past face; Phoenix was galloping at top speed and Eren had to hold on tighter and lean into her to keep from tumbling off. Only when they approached the edge of the tree line did Eren slow her up, Levi on his heels. The forest became eerily quiet as they began their search for an appropriately sized tree to lookout from.

"That's odd, last time I was here the birds were so loud I could hardly hear myself think," Eren said, his tone wary as he strained to hear something, anything that would be considered normal to hear in a forest in the middle of the day.

"Yes, it is indeed strange. I've always heard that animals have far keener senses than we do. Perhaps they know something we don't," Levi guessed, all the while scanning the trees and spotting a rather tall oak that stood ancient and proud, towering over the other trees as if it were their leader.

"Use this tree to keep a lookout, I'm going to ride out a bit further and see if I can spot anything; you'd better hope I do or you will regret wasting my time," Levi warned. Eren scowled at the threat but decided to avoid confrontation and grappled up into the nearest branch before making his way to the top. Phoenix whinnied as Eren departed, almost as if she was sad to see the boy go. Levi gave her a reassuring pat on the nose and a quick scratch between the ears.

"Don't worry Phoenix; Eren will come back to you. Stay here and look after him, alright?" Levi spoke in a low, affectionate tone that was so very unusual for him that if anyone overheard their "conversation" they would think that he'd either had too much to drink or suffered a head injury. Phoenix nickered at him in response.

I suppose the brat has a way of charming even his four legged companions. Manipulative little shit.

Without another word, Levi urged Onyx forward, past the tree line and out into an open field. It was a blessing and a curse; his visibility was far better without any trees, but he also had nowhere to maneuver save for grappling onto the titan itself. A quick look around revealed that all was as it should have been; no towering giants to be seen on the horizon. Despite the seemingly tranquil atmosphere there was one thing that slightly unnerved even the stoic Corporal;

It was far too quiet.

Levi urged Onyx forward through the tall grass, feeling far too exposed in this environment. He continued on for what seemed like forever in the endless field of grass, covering quite a bit of ground at a gallop. Finally, after several more minutes of eerie silence Levi halted his steed, a less than pleased look on his face.

I knew this was a waste of time. I suppose I'll head back and meet up with the brat. Nothing to do but wait for word from the others.

As Levi turned Onyx back in the direction of the forest, he spotted something out of the corner of his eye on the far off horizon, above the tree line and making its way up into the sky.

It was smoke signal coming from Petra and Auruo's direction, signaling that either titans were approaching their position or that they had already found them. Levi immediately rode back towards the forest to collect Eren and head to their position; even if they didn't require any help killing the titans, he wasn't going to take a chance on them being unexpectedly surrounded without support.

Today is your lucky day, Eren. Looks like I won't have to knock your teeth out after all.

"Are you quite certain that it is indeed Rook that they have captured?"

A tall woman clad from head to toe in a scarlet robe stood before a seated group of three men in a dark, secluded room. It was the kind of place that normal people fear to tread; dingy, dank, walls and floors made of stone. The perfect place to hold a conversation not meant for prying ears.

"Yes. We received word from Commander Erwin himself that they had captured a would be assassin. The timing is just too perfect. You said he was a professional and that he could be trusted! I paid you an extremely generous amount of money for this job and you promised to carry it out without a hitch! Well, I would certainly consider your so-called best agent getting captured a hitch," a gruff male voice made itself heard, shouting so that it echoed within the tiny dungeon like room. He slammed his fists down on the hard wood table around which they were seated for added effect.

"Yes, this is a huge problem, one that we did not foresee happening; what if the fool decides to talk? We'll lose our jobs, titles, money, and maybe even our very lives!" another male cried out, fear evident in the way his voice trembled. He was wringing his hands nervously and beads of sweat began to form on his wrinkled brow.

The third man only nodded, looking warily at their surroundings. The robed woman was silent for a moment, her hood covering her face entirely so that only her nose and mouth were visible to the others. Her mouth was drawn into a thin, flat line and it was impossible to read what kind of expression she was making. Her silence did not sit well with the loud man who had spoken first.

"Well? Are you going to just stand there all day? Aren't you going to offer us an explanation?"

The woman shot him a glare that was luckily hidden by her hood.

"…I do not have any excuse to give you, good sir. I do not know why or how Rook was captured, but I do know this; he has been well trained and I trust him completely. He will not disclose your names to the enemy, I promise you," she said in a reassuring voice, the words sounding sweet like honey pouring from her soft, rosy lips. Her sultry demeanor seemed to calm the nervous man and his silent counterpart; however the loud man was not so easily soothed.

"Promise what you will, words are wind and not worth the shit under my shoe; if you do not wish for me to expose your crazy little cult then you will rectify the situation immediately," the man spat through clenched teeth, a small vein popping up on his forehead in his anger. The woman's pouty lips were frowning slightly now and she did her best to hide her offense at the threatening words. Immediately she put on a mask of confidence to defend herself.

"The situation is currently being dealt with as we speak; I have sent three of my best riders to retrieve Rook and the boy, so do not fear," she restrained herself from letting her voice rise above its normal pitch; it would not do to allow her anger to take over her senses. She must remain calm, collected and assert her intelligence over that of these…pigs. She wrinkled her nose a bit in distaste as the word popped into her mind.

Yes that is all these old fools are; filthy swine among our flock of innocent sheep. They were merely a tool, a means to an end. They must be culled before long. I await the day that I can drive my dagger into their still beating hearts with baited breath. They do not deserve paradise.

"How can we trust that the men you've dispatched are any more competent than that schizophrenic imbecile?" the loud man snarled, upper lip curling into an ugly sneer. The woman bristled at the insult to her beloved pupil, but held her tongue lest the situation escalate; as much as she despised speaking with these men, the fact of the matter was that if the cult was going to have any influence in this world ruled by greed then money would be a necessity. The Military Police was certainly the most well-funded of the branches, and so it was only logical to become allies.

"I assure you, even if they were to fail in their mission (which is highly unlikely), then appropriate countermeasures have been set in place to avoid their capture," she said, her lips curing upwards into a reassuring smile. Something sinister seemed to hide in the shadow of her sweet words, however.

The loud man still looked skeptical, but his silence proved that he was at least willing to listen to what she had to say.

"Very well, but this is your last chance. Should you fail to retrieve Eren Jaeger, or at the very least your agent then we will sever all ties. We will not be held responsible for any repercussions or retaliation, understood?"

"I thank you for giving me another opportunity to prove to you that I and my children do indeed keep our word, and that we walk the righteous path," she bowed, further adding to the illusion that she had any semblance of respect for the swine.

Despite a few bumps in the road, we are drawing ever close to our goals. I pray to the Gods that my plan may succeed. I cannot lose their support, not when I've come this far.

It had been far easier to earn their favor than she'd ever imagined; the Military Police were still licking their wounds from losing custody of Eren Jaeger to the Scouting Legion, which planted the seeds of hatred and mistrust between the two branches. While the main leaders of the Military Police had decided to ignore the issue, there were those among them still who hated and feared the titan shifter so much that they wanted him dead.

She and her children desired to possess the boy in hopes of learning his secret to obtaining titan powers. That much had never been disclosed to these men, however; she had gone along with their plans to eliminate him to disguise her true intentions. The Council, which were the true leaders of the cult, had branded Eren a heretic for using his powers to become a titan. It baffled her how short-sighted humans could become in their advancing age. It was time for a new agenda to be put into place.

She was the shepherd, after all, and what kind of guardian would she be if she let wolves devour her flock?

I will lead our them to salvation, and no one, not these fools or the Council will stand in my way.

"Man, what a pain. I was all nice and cozy, curled up with a cup of tea and a good book and then here comes Squad Leader Hanji demanding that we follow that brat on some wild goose chase," Auruo groaned, stretching out his tired muscles as he scouted the area from a rather tall tree. Petra was standing in an adjacent tree, blades at the ready. She shot Auruo an annoyed look.

"Quit complaining. You know that we have to take the threat of a titan attack seriously, no matter what. I, for one, believe that Eren was telling the truth," she stated matter of factly, huffing a bit at her companions apparent lack of faith in the boy.

Auruo heaved a tired sigh. "It's not that I don't believe Eren, but do you know where he got his information from? From that assassin, that's who! We are trusting the word of a man that would sooner slit our throats than look at us; how can we be sure this isn't some kind of trap?"

As Petra opened her mouth to respond she was suddenly interrupted by a rumbling beneath her feet. It was as if something very large was causing vibrations on the ground which were powerful enough to travel up the tree. Auruo arched a brow in question.

"D-did you feel that just now?" Petra asked, eyes wide as dinner plates. There was only one thing that could cause the very earth to shake beneath its massive feet. Not long after she felt it Auruo nearly fell off of his branch in shock as he felt the same vibrations beneath him.

"I'll be damned, the kid was right-" he began, but his statement was soon cut short as he heard a thundering of hooves and the snapping of branches as something suddenly crashed through the undergrowth; to his surprise it was a human mounted upon a swift black steed. It took him a few seconds to register what was happening in his mind. He certainly hadn't expected such a development.

"O-oi! Who are you? Where did you come from?" Auruo called after the rider, who was already speeding down the dirt path from whence they came. The cloaked man did not appear to hear him as he galloped out of sight.

"W-what the hell was that all about?!" Auruo questioned, waving his arms in exasperation at being ignored.

"I don't know! There shouldn't be anyone else out here! All members of the Scouting Legion save for us and the rest of our squad was ordered to take a day off," Petra shouted, her voice shaky from the sudden startling appearance of the rider. Her heart was beating a mile a minute.

"It definitely wasn't one of our men; whoever it was had a red cape, not green," Auruo deduced, looking thoughtful for a moment.

"Red? I don't think any of the branches wear that color," Petra conjectured, doing her best to stay balanced in on the narrow branch of the tree.

The rumbling beneath their feat became stronger and stronger until finally the source of vibrations came running towards them, still a ways off in the distance but clearly visible.

It was a group of six titans, all running top speed in their direction and looking rather ravenous.

"I don't know, but it looks like he wasn't alone-get ready, here they come!"

The first titan ran headfirst into the forest, wedging itself between two trees in an attempt to get through. Its reaction times were rather slow, and it waved its massive arms around in an attempt to free itself. Its unnervingly wide brown eyes focused on the two humans before it and it struggled desperately to grab at them.

"GWAAAARRRGH"

Auruo quickly seized the chance to dispatch the trapped titan and grappled towards it, landing just behind it before grappling once more and cutting a clean slice through the titan's nape. It slumped over immediately, falling silent as steam rose from its rapidly dissipating body.

"One down! Petra, I'm going to send the signal to the others, can you get the next one?" Auruo called out to his companion, who had followed close behind him. He loaded his flare gun with a fresh canister and plugged his ear before firing it into the air.

"Yes! I'll attack from behind as soon as it crosses the tree line!" the redhead replied, grappling to another tree and lying in wait until the next titan came bursting through. It was much larger than the previous one and managed to topple over several trees in its attempt to chase the rider. It was Petra's turn to attack, and she easily sliced clean through the nape, killing it in one go.

There was no time to celebrate, however, as two more titans came crashing into the forest, teeth gnashing and arms flailing in an attempt to knock the two from their perches. Auruo grappled over to Petra and grabbed her arm to steady her so that she wouldn't fall from such a dangerous height.

"Jeeze, six titans? That guy must have run straight through a whole pack of them, what a crazy son of a bitch!" Auruo mused, attacking the closest one in unison with Petra, their blades piercing the titan with ease as they seemed to almost dance on the battlefield. The air was hot and steamy from the sheer amount of titan bodies piling up between them, and Petra wiped the sweat from her brow, panting.

"That means that two more should be coming, right?" she mumbled to herself, quickly wiping off the almost boiling blood from her blades with a handkerchief.

She squinted against the midday sun and spotted the final two titans stumbling around outside of the entrance to the forest, sight clouded by their brethren's steaming bodies. Taking advantage of the makeshift cover, Auruo and Petra nodded to each in confirmation before approaching the titans head on, grappling to two separate trees before focusing on their targets.

Since the two titans were just beyond the trees Auruo grappled onto the nearest one, his hook burying itself deep within the giant's shoulder, causing it to cry out and thrash in pain. The blonde man propelled himself towards the titan, using his anchor on its shoulder to pull himself within reach of the weak spot. As he sailed through the air he readied his blade, slicing horizontally through the nape and landing on the titan's other shoulder.

He fought to keep his footing as the titan began to fall to its knees. The beast had carried him too far away from the trees to grapple back into the forest, and so released his hook and jumped to the ground as the creature landed.

Petra followed suit, replicating his actions and quickly finishing the other titan before emerging from the steam, breathing heavily. Auruo rushed to her side to make sure that she was uninjured.

"Are you ok, Petra?" he asked, concern etched on his aging features. Petra smiled at him and nodded in affirmation.

Always looking out for me, aren't you, Auruo?

"Yes, I'm fine. Looks like we didn't even need to bother sending the signal to the Corporal," she mused, a giggle escaping her lips. Auruo joined in the laughter and clapped her gently on the back.

"Good job, Petra. The Corporal would be proud."

Petra shook her head, still smiling brightly. Well, as brightly as someone covered in titan blood could, anyway.

"This is nothing compared to what Corporal can do. I've seen him kill dozens of titans without breaking a sweat, yet here I am struggling to catch my breath after three," the redhead let out a light chuckle at her own expense.

"Have some confidence, silly girl. I couldn't have done this without you, so chin up!" Auruo reassured her, squeezing her shoulder lightly and practically oozing with cheerfulness. Usually the man had two moods; annoyed and tired. When he was with Petra, however, his demeanor completely changed. He was happy, alert, sociable and supportive. She really did seem to bring out the best in him.

Despite his attempts to lighten the mood, however, Petra's face took on a rather grim expression as her thoughts caught up with her.

"Do you think…that that rider led those titans here on purpose?"

Auruo chewed on her words for a moment before nodding.

"It did seem like they were following him; usually titans steer clear of the forest, it's too cramped and most of them can't fit without trying really hard, and the only reason they might even attempt it is to go after food" Auruo surmised, hand resting on his chin in contemplation.

Petra nodded, frowning.

"If he did lead them here, then we need to alert the others to his presence right away; we can't just let someone that dangerous escape."

"And who is this dangerous someone you're talking about?" a familiar voice called to her from a distance, and when Petra turned around she spotted the Corporal riding towards her with Eren on his heels. She quickly saluted him and explained.

"Corporal Levi! Auruo and I saw someone ride through the forest just now; they came from the direction of the open field just beyond the tree line. He was followed by a small group of titans, and we aren't sure whether he led them here intentionally, or if he was just trying to escape," Petra hastily reported, looking rather frazzled.

Eren's blue-green eyes widened at her words.

"You mean you think that someone knew we were going to be here and tried to sick titans on us? That's crazy-" he was cut off abruptly by Levi, who signaled for him to stop talking with one raised hand. Eren pouted a bit at being interrupted but did not object.

"I think," he began after a moment of contemplation," that we need to find this rider and question him if we are to-" this time it was Levi who was cut short by the familiar sound of a flare gun being fired in the distance. The smoke trail was barely visible through the thick foliage of the tree tops, but it was unmistakable. It was coming from the direction that Gunter and Erd had traveled, and the message it bore was a grim one indeed.

It was the signal for an aberrant.

Phew, thanks for reading!I really suck at writing action sequences, so I apologize lol.

So sorry this chapter is short, I wanted to get it written before I have to study for my tests this weekend, so I apologize. I'll probably try to update no later than next Thursday, so until then, please review when you get the chance!