The air was freezing and heavy, the rain sinking into his shoes and clothes, but Griff hardly gave that any thought. His entire being was only dedicated to one thing when he was outside the walls. Survival. For both him, and the lives of his men.
The field they were riding through were terrible for ODM gear, and that made him nervous. He was good enough to kill a Titan on flat land, especially considering his ability, but he doubted those in his squad could say the same.
Four people rode with him, one woman and three men. Jane, Henry, Ermick, and Jayce. Each of them had families they had to return to.
"Captain, two abnormals are on our tail!" Henry didn't tell him anything he didn't already know, but he was asking for orders.
Griff grimaced when he spotted a figure running at them from the front. "I know, and we can't exactly just lead them into the formation, if that happens we're screwed."
Griff hated his job. He was always the one who had to act for others, since everyone else seemed afraid to make those moves, and when people died because of it they always blamed him; at least partly.
Glancing behind him, Griff could see one of the abnormals, more specifically a quadruped, had it's dumb glossy eyes fixed on him. Which worked in his favour, considering what he was about to do next.
The leader of the group unsheathed his ODM swords and firmly ordered his men. "Jayce, help me take down those two abnormals following us. The rest of you, your job is to deal with the big idiot in front of us."
"But, Captain Niemand, there isn't-"
"A tree nearby, I can see that." Griff felt some annoyance, but held himself back as he simply stated. "They must be stopped right now, no excuses. Remember that trick I taught you. Hopefully you won't die. So go, now!"
Those were the last words Griff said to them before making his horse do a sharp turn around, with him jumping off his horse and anchoring onto the bipedal Titan's face.
Griff was used to the job, having been a Scout for over eight years, but since his first expedition in 836 he could confidently say that his fear never left him.
Griff felt his perception slow, the use of his power making him react quicker, and when the Titan opened it's maw to crush him between it's teeth he denied the beast last second. Then, pivoting onto it's shoulder, he slashed through the nape of the monstrous creature. His muscles stung slightly from the resistance Titan flesh gave, but it meant little when the tortured soul was felled like a fly.
Griff took no joy in the action though. Just as he took no joy when he felled any other Titan because, in the end, they were but victims of Marley's cruelty. It was tragic what humans were capable of, the pain they can inflict, and he just hoped the poor things found peace.
"Captain, draw it's attention!" Jayce shouted, and Griff didn't need to reply. Trust was what they thrived on in the Survey Corps, you didn't survive alone.
The dark haired man didn't flinch in the face of a Titan's jaw, reacting fast enough to evade and firmly embed his blades into the Titan's eyes and jump away to avoid being swatted. The giant screamed, sounding painfully human, as it abandoned it's animalistic stance to nurse it's two eyes which had been blinded.
Jayce screamed with venom in his voice, contradicting the piteous look his captain was sending the monster from his position. "Die!"
The lower officer cut through the nape, causing the Titan to go limp and fall in an ungraceful heap to the ground. It didn't get back up.
Griff, seeing the Titan dead, looked at his squad and saw the steaming pile of a dead Titan. He let his lips quirk up at the sight, but let it fall as he sheathed his swords and gave a high whistle.
Griff petted his horse as it returned, proceeding to mount it as Jayce joined his side. "We're moving out. The formation can't get too far ahead of us, we're dead meat if that happens."
Jayce merely nodded, content to follow as they reunited with the rest of their team members. They always rode forward together, being alone in Titan territory was asking for death, and they'd gotten a system down to avoid conflict with Titans wherever possible. Griff was only reaffirmed that getting Erwin put in charge was the correct choice. He hadn't lost a squad member since he was put in charge months ago, and that was a massive weight off his shoulders. The feeling of having to inform a family member that their husband, son, daughter, or even parent had died was something he despised going through. It only made his guilt worse when someone was screaming at him that he wasn't good enough, that he'd killed someone they loved by failing to protect them.
Griff felt bad for Shadis, with the man being more than simply upset by the time he was done, but didn't feel a bit of guilt. Erwin was already practically running the Survey Corps, and his promotion didn't end up changing all that much.
A larger Titan was approaching them slowly from the front, and Griff narrowed his eyes. "Jane, fire off a smoke sign-" Griff cut himself off, recognising the sight of blue smoke in the air, and inwards let himself relax. Only slightly though.
Griff let out a deep breath, and stoically declared. "Alright, we're leaving. You see the blue smoke, we've come far enough!"
The leader pulled his horse around, and began the trek home, but he still took his time to admire the rest of the island he called home. Griff just couldn't stop himself from being amazed by it, the untouched beauty of Paradis island, and hoped he lived long enough to see it without the threat of Titans looming over his head.
Despite everything, he let out a small smile. The outside world was a cruel place, however it's beauty was something else entirely. Griff knew Marley and the rest of the world had to be dealt with, and he had a few ideas, but he could deal with them when they were imminent and near him.
Griff's eyes darkened, his grip on his horse's reins tightening. Eren wouldn't need to destroy the world, he swore on that with his life.
Armin struggled to keep up with his energetic friend, the two of them running down the streets of Shiganshina in an attempt to view the Survey Corps as they returned.
Armin whined, cursing his unathletic body. "Slow down- Eren- I can't- keep going."
Eren was mostly oblivious to his friend's panting and exhaustion and excitedly said. "We can't stop now! The Heroes are returning, and I wanna see my uncle!"
"But, Eren- isn't- doesn't your mum not want you talking to him."
Armin's words, though separated by breathless pants, did reach Eren's ears. His response was to retort dismissively. "My mum won't get mad if she doesn't know! Besides I haven't see him in so long, and mum never even told me why I couldn't see him!"
The blonde boy was about to rebuke his friend, but Eren's sudden halt caused him to make a skidding stop and realise where they'd ended up. The crowd in front of them was thick, and they couldn't see past the taller adults obstructing their view, but a nearby crate proved to be a good stool to boost their eyes above the crowd and give them the sight of the Scouts returning.
Eren grinned widely, but Armin frowned at what he saw and counted the heads of the men and women who passed by. Over one hundred men had left to fight beyond the walls, yet he counted only eighty or so. That meant just under 30% of their soldiers had met their end, and though most looked physically fine, Armin noticed the looks in their eyes. People had died, and not in a small amount.
"Hey look, there's my uncle! Hey uncle Griff!" Armin resisted the urge to shrink when Eren began shouting, gaining the attention of the crowd, and a few Scouts. His embarrassment as Griff met their eyes though, and he had to withhold a shiver.
Armin wouldn't ever say it out loud, but when they first met he was genuinely scared of Griff. The older man looked like a female version of his elder sister, and consequently looked a lot like Eren, but his eyes lacked the motherly warmth Carla held in her own irises. His almost orange eyes were cold, unmoving, firm, and even intimidating to the point where his demeanour bordered on hostility to regular civilians.
Eren seemed to idolise his uncle, with him being essentially what the boy aspired to become when he was older. A man who, when faced with Titans, killed them like flies and moved on to his next target as though humanity's greatest enemy was childs play. This fact, ironically enough, strained their relationship because of the way Eren's mother chose to separate the two. Armin doubted she hated her brother, even if she disagreed with her life choices, but she valued her sons life more than her relationship with him.
A flash of warmth passed through his gaze, and he even offered them a rare smile, but Griff remained unchanged in his speed and direction as he marched through the streets of Shiganshina with his comrades. Eren was about to walk through the crowd, but was stopped and dragged backwards.
"What the heck?! Who are you- oh hi mum." Eren was about to yell, but when faced with the displeased expression of his Carla Yeager all he could do was utter a lame response. But, she wasn't having any of it.
Carla's expression mellowed as she inhaled, then exhaled. "Armin, can you leave us alone?" She wanted to have a word with him, but not in front of Eren's only friend. She wanted to scold him, not embarrass him.
The blonde nodded quietly, running off to leave the two alone, and all Eren could do was look in his direction with a betrayed look on his face. However, he couldn't say a word under his mother's eyes.
Carla knelt down, meeting his eye level. "Eren, why are you down here? Actually no, that's a stupid question. Are you still hung up on joining the Survey Corps? Are you that eager to get yourself killed?"
Eren flared up. "I'm not gonna get myself killed-"
"But you will, everyone in the Survey Corps dies eventually, and you're no exception! No son of mine will be turned into fodder, am I absolutely clear?!" Despite her voice level, there was a hint of sadness in her voice as she remembered a very similiar conversation she'd had years ago. When her brother became a Scout; without even asking for her approval.
When she raised her voice, Eren shouted back. "Stop yelling at me! And don't call them that! Uncle isn't fodder, and he's been a Scout as long as I've been alive!"
Carla felt emotional when her brother was mentioned, but strictly retorted. "He's twenty six, it's no achievement to live that long! And this isn't about him, this is about you! Eren, this fixation on the outside world, all it's going to do is get you killed! Your uncle is already dead, he'd been gone since the moment he became a Scout!"
The boy went to his uncle's defense, not skipping a beat. "He's not dead though, I saw him walking home just now! He's my hero, and you can't just insult him like that! He's really brave, he goes out there and kills those things, and I'd be lucky to be like him when I'm a member of the Survey-"
Carla snapped, not letting her son finish that sentence. "Don't even say it young man! Your uncle is a fool for willing going out to fight those things, all of the Scouts are! You keep calling us cattle, and maybe we are, but at least cattle are alive, at least cattle grow old, and at least cattle aren't eaten by Titans! You aren't allowed to be a Scout, do you hear me?!"
Eren was shook by his mother's outburst, and looked to the side before he begrudgingly muttered 'yes'.
Carla knew he didn't really mean it, but didn't want to shout at her son anymore, so she let him go. "Good. Now go find Armin, and be back for dinner before seven. I love you, Eren."
Her son didn't reply, just walking off numbly, and it made her heart twitch. Eren was painfully alike to her brother, maybe not in mannerisms sure, the way they both aimed to be Scouts was the cause for her beginning to develop wrinkles. She loved her brother, truly she did, but she loved her son more.
Carla can remember the day she plainly told Griff not to come near her son. She might have acted coldheartedly, but on the inside it hurt her to cut her connections with her brother, and it was only made worse by how understanding he was about her request. Griff didn't even ask why, he just did as she told and stayed away from them.
Then again, Carla supposed it wasn't terribly difficult to figure out why. She was afraid of the influence he would have on her son, intentional or not, and made the decision to distance herself. Griff had never been one to show many emotions, even when he was a little boy, but she could see the hurt in his eyes when she essentially banned her from seeing his only family.
Carla rubbed her head, not wanting to deal with the migraine she was getting. Carla missed her brother, that was true, but she'd made her choice and she was sticking with it. She was a stubborn woman, a trait which seemed to run in her family.