As the sun touched the horizon, Eren strode into the grove with determination. It caused quite the commotion among the campers who were laying on the soft grass. Armin hurriedly followed after him with a slightly worried expression on his face.
"Is everyone here?!" The young chief yelled, before reaching out for the conch that was laying under the biggest tree in the grove.
The startled survivors rose up to their feet just as he took a deep breath and blew the fancy shell, producing a low, powerful sound that could be heard even from a long distance.
"Gosh, will you stop it with the loudness?" Jean asked as he approached him with a sour expression.
"I need everyone to come here, now!" Eren exclaimed, not bothering to try and deal with Jean.
The conch managed to do its job, as all of the campers were already in the grove.
The young chief looked at their faces. Frustration welled up in every boy, and none of them tried to mask it. He gave them a serious glance.
"Tonight, we're going to hunt!" He expressed, while raising his bayonet.
His words and display shocked the survivors. They warily watched as he approached the middle of the space between the huts.
The girls had created a stationary campfire here, using dry wood and a few stones to isolate the fire. However, they hadn't used it until now, given that they had nothing to cook. Eren picked up a sharp piece of flint and swiped it down the side of the blade.
The sight of the flame drew the survivors closer. It was as if it lit something within them, something that was hidden deep inside.
"Tonight, we'll find those pigs and we'll kill them!" Eren yelled at the group "before tomorrow morning, we'll be eating meat!"
The fire seemed to have filled the teenagers with newfound energy. The boys, still tired after the hard day of lonely hunt, looked rejuvenated at the prospect that action was being taken. Not all of them were so eager for another hunt, though.
"We've been looking for the pigs the whole day!" Marcel exclaimed, stepping forward "why are you so sure that we'll manage to get to them during the night?!"
Eren took a deep breath. In his mind, he already had an answer.
"Because this time" he started, before walking over to the tree to grab a firm, long stick "we'll all be hunting together."
As he said that, he took his knife and started working on the pole. With the help of his sharp bayonet, he quickly turned it into a primitive spear. The crowd looked at the display, bewildered. Eren raised his weapon up.
"All boys, come here!" The young chief expressed with a determined face "I'll grant you your arms!"
This was enough to make any doubt within them disappear. One by one, they started to search for sticks and created a line, in front of the dark-haired boy.
As Eren patiently sharpened the sticks, he turned his gaze towards Ymir. The older girl was watching him with a neutral expression.
"Pick up the conch" he told her, motioning with his head towards the discarded shell, lying next to him.
The surprised expression on the freckled female's face quickly turned into one of understanding. The girl walked over and picked it up, just like he had said.
"While we're gone, you'll stay here with the rest of the girls" Eren spoke as he was handing the newly made spear over to Marcel "you are responsible for the fire and for the camp."
Ymir could only nod at his commanding display. Either way, it was better for the girls to stay in the grove they cherished so much. The young chief smiled at that.
Shortly, Eren finished up the last spear and handed it over to Armin who didn't seem too eager to indulge in the hunt.
"Get ready!" He yelled, before taking his shirt off "we are heading off in a few minutes!"
From the corner of his eye, he noticed Historia look at him. Blushing, he crouched down.
'Maybe I should cover my face?' Eren thought to himself, wanting nothing else than make the crimson on his cheeks go away.
Thankfully, Marcel came to his rescue.
"We should paint our faces!" The brown-haired boy yelled to everyone.
"Yeah!"
"Like tribesmen!"
"Let's do it" Eren seconded, trying to appear as if this was the only reason for him to try and cover his face.
Actually painting oneself was a different issue. There was a lot of dark materials nearby, but making dyes that would stick to skin was quite difficult. The young chief looked around, trying to find any possible solution to this problem, however, many of the boys had already found a way to somehow put darker shades of green and brown hues on their faces.
"Eren" he heard from the side.
It was Mikasa. She was holding, what seemed to be a coconut half, filled with some dark goo.
"It's burnt wood from the fireplace, mixed with a little bit of water" the oriental girl spoke as she crouched before him.
The dark-haired boy simply closed his eyes and let her cover his face with her dye. It was a soothing feeling to have her soft hands caress his cheeks, even if it was just to put some paint on him. In that very moment, Eren was glad that the girl couldn't see the redness that displayed on his features.
"Something isn't right, here" he heard a second voice.
Startled, Mikasa stopped in her tracks and looked towards the newcomer. It was Historia.
"What is it?" Eren asked, much to Mikasa's displeasure.
"You are the leader" the blonde spoke, before crouching over next to Mikasa "you need to stand out from the rest, so they'll be instantly able to tell you apart."
Having said that, she held up an empty coconut shell and threw in a bunch of weird, white fruits. Swiftly, she picked up a small rock, and just like she would do with a kitchen mortar, she crushed its contents.
Mikasa watched with annoyance as Historia dipped three fingers in the white substance.
"It's not much, but they'll be able to tell the difference" the blonde said, before softly painting three straight lines on his face.
When she was done, she looked at him proudly.
"Now, you look like a true leader" Historia spoke with a smile.
"Really?" Eren asked dreamily, not exactly thinking at the moment.
It was a given that he fancied the blonde. Having her reassure him felt like the best thing ever.
"Yes…" the girl said, before, in a daring influx of bravery, she smeared the white dye on her lips, brought her face closer to his and kissed him on his right cheek.
"…bring us some meat, please…"
Momentarily, she rose up and strode away.
Eren and Mikasa simply watched her retreating form, dumbfounded. The boy had been kissed before, but it never happened in such a possessive way. Without realizing it, he brought his hand to the white shape of Historia's lips, remaining on his face for everyone to be seen.
'Gotta marry her…' the young chief thought, before standing up.
"Alright, everyone!" He shouted loud enough to be heard in the entire grove "line up, right now!"
All the boys, walked eagerly towards him, before rounding up in front of the fire.
Eren looked at their faces. They looked way more menacing, now that they had them covered in dark shades of green and brown. But that wasn't the most important thing he saw.
His father often taught him of how soldiers in the army lined up and stood before their commanders. The look on their faces should speak of conviction, dedication and determination.
But the young chief didn't see those expressions on his men. Instead, he saw frustration and hunger. A deep desire to indulge in what seemed to be the most primal form of socialization that had existed for as long as humanity itself had.
They looked like savages, and it was the perfect look they needed at the time.
"There are eight of us!" He shouted, before raising his bayonet in one hand and a spear in the other.
"This time" Eren continued "we'll catch them!"
"This time, we'll kill them!"
"Yeah!"
"That'll show them!"
"Let's kill those pigs!"
"And so, we shall!" The young chief exclaimed "before morning, we're all be eating meat!"
With that, he turned on his heel and motioned for the boys to come along.
As the hunters exited the grove, the sun had finally set over the island. And only Armin, as he worriedly followed his long-time friend into the jungle, thought that unbeknownst to them all, something had changed within the survivors.