"Eren, are you sure we're allowed to pass here?" Armin stuttered as he hesitantly followed his best friend through the cobbled road leading to the infamous bamboo forest.
"Through this street? No. Through the Bamboo Forest? Why not? No one ever passes there," Eren nonchalantly said.
"Eren is right about one thing: no one in the right mind would pass through the bamboo forest, even if was a convenient shortcut located at a strategic place," Armin thought to himself as he bit his lip.
The cool night breeze started to become much chillier. The refreshing air from Wall Sina suddenly felt like sharp icicles penetrating into his skin. The hairs on his neck rose.
Thirty years ago, before the Titans gruesome comeback that wiped out almost the entire Shiganshima, the Bamboo forest in Wall Rose was already known as a human graveyard. Somehow, a Titan was able to penetrate through Wall Maria to satisfy its craving.
Unlike a normal Titan, who would break through the puny wall to get to the other side, the Titan simply grabbed a number of children playing in the bamboo forest and stuffed them in its mouth. Before the Scouting Legion-on-duty, who was a few miles away, was able to get a closer look, the Titan disappeared in a cloud of smoke.
It was an urban legend that anyone who passed through the Wall Rose bamboo forest would witness all the anguished souls of the children who were devoured alive by the Titan. Once an oasis teeming with life, it was now an abandoned forest at the center of a commercial district.
Armin heard his teeth chatter. Eren's ears pricked to its sound. For a human, he really has a good sense of hearing.
Eren led Armin through the deserted streets of Wall Rose leading up to the new recruits' dorms. Most of the oil lamps in the surrounding houses were put out already.
Focusing on these minor details did not relieve Armin from his anxieties. They were already breaking curfew, and they were going to pass through a haunted forest to get home.
His knees wobbled. A few paces later, he stopped in his tracks.
"Why are we doing this, Eren?" he suddenly asked.
Eren turned back. A part of his slick brunette hair shone under the pale moon. It was a full moon that night. Eren's teal green eyes seemed to be reflecting the iridescent glow of the waning moon. Armin snapped back to reality.
Eren shrugged. "If you want to get caught, stay right where you are. I just want to get back home and sleep"
Armin opened his mouth, then closed it immediately.
"Are you scared?" Eren asked, his voice barely a whisper. His voice seemed more tender and caring, as if he started to realize how his actions were taking effect on his best friend.
He then abruptly stopped walking as a ray of yellow light hit his face.
Before Armin was able to answer his question, he felt the air knocked out of his stomach as Eren pushed him behind an Oak barrel. Eren dove after him and balanced himself on his hands and knees. Armin gasped for air but Eren put his hand on his mouth. Seconds later, a guy wearing the brown Survey Corps jacket passed by.
Perry Colt. He shaved off his shoulder long blonde locks. Perry was a second year recruit who frequently aided Commander Yeti in his paper works and reports. It was rumored that he was going to run for the Survey Corps Recruit Council next year.
Perry glanced around with his sharp, eagle eyes. Even though he seemed alert, he was tired as seen by the eyebags illuminated by the oil lamp he held. He tried to keep his posture straight but Armin noticed that his shoulders hunched everytime he moved.
Poor Perry. Always assisting Commander Yeti. He needs a break," Armin thought to himself as the sophomore recruit passed the Oak barrel.
Then, Perry stopped.
Armin held his breath as he heard his heart pound faster. Eren tightly shut his eyes as he clamped his hand on Armin's parched lips.
He looked around. His eagle eyes looked around as if it were a predator sniffing out its prey.
Armin expected himself to be scared, but instead, he felt confused. He didn't know whether he feel fear or elation, because Eren was holding his parched lips.
He wished this moment could last forever. He glanced at Eren whose eyes were still tightly shut.
Finally, Perry sighed then walked past the Oak barrel, stumbling across a few loose pebbles from the cobblestone road. His worn boots crunched them as he made his way through the empty streets.
The end of the road seemed dark and perilous. But Perry kept walking, trying to dispel all the fears in his heart. The little oil lamp flickered before it faded as he turned to patrol another section of the city.
After a few minutes, Eren then opened his eyes and released his grip from Armin's mouth. Armin felt beads of sweat run down his forehead.
"Did you think we were gonna get caught?" Armin whispered as Eren breathed a sigh of relief. Eren was barely sweating.
"Who knows? Just because we're new recruits doesn't mean we should follow the rules," he whispered back as he stood up and brushed the gravel off his cargo pants.
How badass. If only I could be as badass as…
"You coming?" Eren asked as he stretched out his hand to Armin. Armin accepted it and hoisted himself off the ground.
The two continued walking until they reached the entrance of the Bamboo forest.
Armin took a deep breath.
"Well, here goes to breaking curfew," Eren smiled. Armin promptly returned it as he felt a little bit of warmth soothe his ice-cold cheeks.
"After you, Jaeger," Armin answered, braving his way through a few bamboo shoots, before plunging into the depths of the abandoned canopy.