Stratocumulus

"Pick up the pace, Jaeger."

"I'm trying as hard as I can, sir!"

"Obviously not hard enough."

The wind speed was increasing at a rapid pace now, keeping Survey Corps member Eren Jaeger from maneuvering properly in midair. Corporal Levi had said that just because Eren had given humanity a glimpse of hope with his newly discovered titan abilities it didn't mean that he should forget his basic training. There may be a time when you will not be able to transform, Levi had said, and if and when that time comes, you need to be able to fight with your gear, with your mind, and with your body.

Eren had told the Corporal that he would never forget how to use his gear, and that he was in good physical shape, but to the Corporal that wasn't enough. "If you put off training for too long, you will panic in battle. You will lose trust in yourself, in your comrades. You start questioning your own abilities and, within minutes, you get yourself killed." Eren flinched when the Corporal gave him a rather hard pat on the back. If you didn't know the Corporal well enough, this could be seen as threatening.

Eren didn't know the Corporal that well.

"So I expect to see you outside every morning Jaeger. I watch, you train. That's an order," Levi had said. Not willing to strike a raw nerve, Eren replied with a squeaky, "Yes, sir," and a salute.

And then Levi was off.

Eren almost sighed with relief before the Corporal made a sharp turn on his heels and faced the opposite way, as if he had reminded himself something. "Before I go, kid, lemme tell you this," he began. "I don't ask a whole lot of you, now do I? No. So when I tell you to do something around here, I expect you to comply. That means you are to give me your attention and obedience. Do you comprehend what I'm saying, kid?"

For an unexpected turn in conversation, that was a bit much to take in. However, Eren wasn't really looking for a split lip, so he told the Corporal that he had his understanding entirely. "Good," Levi said. "And by the way, I'm not looking for an opportunity to scar you, so you don't have to piss your pants every time I'm within spitting distance."

Eren's ears burned.

Then, the Corporal was gone, strolling off as if the conversation they just shared was nothing but thin air.

Sure enough, when Eren complied with the Corporal's commands the next morning, Levi was there on the field already waiting. It seemed as though he'd been there a while, by the look of it, but then again the Corporal pretty much always had the same expression and stature so that wasn't saying much.

"Late," Levi had called. So he had been there a while. Eren picked up his pace and jogged forward. "Sorry, sir, you hadn't given me a precise time to be here, so I just went with my instincts-"

"Well they weren't being very intuitive, so I suppose you'll have to work on those as well."

"... Sir?"

"Whatever. Now, Jaeger,"

"Sir?"

"Sir, is that all you know how to say? Damn, kid, you're acting like I'm torturing you. Don't be so stiff, it's not good for battle. Go hook on to that wall, over there."

"Yes, sir!"

"You're doing it again."

"Sorry, sir."

"Get going, Jaeger!"

And Eren was off. They'd trained for hours after that. Soon enough the morning sun, which was previously shining its rays down upon the two Survey Corps, hid behind the early afternoon clouds. The winds decided to dance along in the ever inevitable play of nature, and soon the sky gave signs of impending rain. The weather made it much harder for Eren to train, as the wind would sometimes blow him off course while he touched the heavens with his 3D maneuver gear. Albeit the storm clouds and disappearance of sunshine, Levi was determined to have Eren train. When Eren suggested they go indoors, Levi offered a proposal. "If you can conquer those winds before it rains, then we go inside and eat. If you can't, you stay out here as long as it takes for you to master the technique and I go inside and watch you flop about like a fish out of water."

Before reaching his target, Eren looked the Corporal in the eyes. He meant business. Left with no other option, Eren accepted the proposal and continued to fly about using his maneuver gear, going from one wall to the next. Many times he had been blown off track, and in battle, that could mean death. On occasion, the Corporal would provide him with either useful advice or sarcastic remarks. Sometimes it was both. "Move your legs to go against the wind, it'll keep you on course- No, no, not like that, you look like you're gonna take a shit in midair. Disgusting." Either way, it appeared as though the clouds could not hold out any longer, and one by one, rain dripped down from the sky.

The Corporal, feeling oddly sympathetic (not that he would admit it), offered to take Eren inside, stating that they would continue later after they had eaten. Eren, however, thought otherwise. Much too into his training, he turned down the offer and continued. Expecting as much, Levi turned on his heels and began walking back towards their base. "What a troublesome kid," he said, loud enough only so that he himself may hear.

Through the heavily increasing amount of rain and wind, Eren finally mastered the technique and could now control his motions albeit the weather's adversities. He was tired, he was hungry, he was aching, but most of all, Eren was happy. His chance of survival now had improved, even if it was just by a little bit. And a little bit was all that mattered. Swooping down from his perch upon one of the walls, Eren landed in the pit of mud that was solid ground on which he stood upon only hours earlier. Without thinking, Eren fell to his knees, laughing while the mud splattered all over his clothing. He would hear it from Corporal, sure, but what did that matter now? He had done what he needed to do, and he hadn't had a good laugh in a long time. Perhaps, Eren thought, this means good times are coming?

But unfortunately, most good times, especially among soldiers, were short-lived. And as Eren sat there, pondering, his mind never ventured to guess that the entire time, a pair of eyes had been watching him battle and victoriously win against nature's elements.