The Wolf of Freedom AKA What if it wasn't pigs that Ymir set free?

Ymir the Slave looked beyond the fence. Within its confines was a wolf, chained to a pole in the ground. Just like her, it was collared and bound. Just like her, it was punished for failure and disobedience. Just like her in so many ways.

And not like her at all.

The Wolf was large, with fur so black the night might seem pale. And despite the scars, despite the starvation, despite... everything, it was not broken. It still growled and howled, baring fang and claw against any that got too close. Even after the months of Fritz and his people trying to break the beast, it refused to give in. It would die before it gave in.

And until it died, it kept struggling for freedom, seeking it like it was prey and home and everything in between.

Fear kept pulling Ymir back, but something else pushed her forth. What was it? She didn't know, couldn't name it, couldn't describe it.

She climbed over the fence.

The Wolf looked at her instantly. His verdant green eyes bore through her. Most would have flinched away, ran away even. But Ymir wasn't afraid. Not because she was brave, but because she...wanted to do this, even if she didn't know why. Even if it ended badly.

The Wolf watched her, growling at her approach.

She stopped and tried to make a shushing noise. It didn't feel or sound right without a tongue.

The wolf quieted, but he didn't stop baring his teeth as she crept closer.

With slow hands, she reached out to the collar. It didn't need a key, just a turn of a level and a pull would allow it to come undo. As she worked, she noted the scars upon the black fur, further signs of his defiance, his refusal to give up.

The collar came off and fell to the ground.

The Wolf looked at it sharply as it did, instantly realizing what this meant. His green eyes settled back onto Ymir, and he stood up to his full height. He was a truly large wolf, a monster to the Eldian Tribe.

Would he eat her now? Ymir looked up with sad eyes and a smile. She didn't want to die, but...she was happy. At least one of them might be free.

Just as it looked like Death might take her, the Wolf turned and barreled towards the fence, leaping and climbing over it effortlessly before running off into the Forest.

And as he went, the Wolf let loose a great and mighty howl that could be felt in the very soul.

Ymir still smiled, but her tears grew heavier.

At least one of them was free.

Ymir cried as she fell to the ground. Frtiz found out someone let the Wolf go, and the other slaves exposed her as a culprit. She couldn't blame them, after the threat to take out an eye from every slave.

But as punishment, she had been "freed" to be sent into the forest, as the warriors came to hunt her down on horseback. But not before they took one of her eyes out too.

She looked up and saw a flower, a petal stained with blood. It was morbidly beautiful.

A black paw stepped in front of her face.

She looked up, shock overriding the pain, as she met the eyes of the wolf again.

Those wrathful green eyes seemed to pity her somehow, and the state she came before him.

'I'm sorry,' she liked to think he spoke to her, that it wasn't just her imagination. 'I'm sorry I couldn't free you too.'

She began to cry against him, reaching a hand up to the canine face. If it was only one last time, she wanted to feel that soft fur. If she did, maybe she could ignore the feelings of blood and pain.

She could hear the horses and the men coming. So could the Wolf.

With a growl, he ran passed her. She trembled as she heard the screams, the roars, and the sound between beast and men before it all came quiet with a pained howl.

She cried and balled her fist. In the end, she doomed the one she freed.

Or so she thought, until the Wolf silently returned, to her amazement. But horror dawned as she looked up and saw the arrows and deep gashes on his pelt, the red staining the dark fur.

Despite all this, the Wolf did not whimper. Instead, it leaned down and helped nudge Ymir to her feet. She barely did and didn't know now why they bothered. They were both going to die now, weren't they?

She leaned on the wolf as he led her to the Ash-Tree, a massive tree in the forest. Eldia and other tribes revered it greatly. Why were they here?

There was a hole in it, almost like a cave. Maybe they'd be safe here for a little bit.

They made it only slowly into the darkness before they lost their footing. With a yelp of surprise, the wolf and her went falling, sliding until they both fell into a great pool of water within the dree.

Ymir had no idea what happened next. Just that there was something bright in the dark, and as she felt death clawing at her lungs, she grabbed hold of the wolf as they both drowned.

Then, there was a blinding flash and...a moment in eternity.

She stood with the wolf in a land of sand, leading on forever under a sky of stars.

And as their eyes met, their souls did as well, and both knew the other truly.

'Thank you,' The wolf said gratefully, even if his mouth didn't move. 'If I could, I would have set you free too.'

'I'm sorry. You died because of me,'' Ymir returned, with no tongue to speak. 'I wish you could have lived long and happy.'

The Wolf nuzzled her. 'Maybe next time.'

Present

From the belly of a titan, a giant figure emerged, ripping and tearing his way out. A titan, but a titan unlike any had ever seen. For this titan was not humanoid in the slightest, standing on two legs and looking in every way like a wolf, but as massive as a ten-meter titan.

Without hesitation, without thought, without prompt it started to attack each and every titan it could find, with a ravenous hatred.

And as his first victims lay at his feet, the Wolf of Freedom hurled back her head and let out a great and mighty howl.

A howl that echoed not just through the air, but through the souls, into the Paths themselves.

Ymir stopped in her work as she heard that glorious howl.

The bucket of sand fell from her hands.

Tears poured down her face and a broken smile appeared on her face.

She didn't know if it was hope for the future, despair over the past, or something else.

Just that she was happy to hear him again. Her first, last, and only friend in the cruel world.

Could she save him?

Could he free her?

'Maybe next time.'

Just maybe if this ended in tears again, they would be happy this time.

End of Chapter

Short and simple, but also very interesting. All the Nine Titans are based on Ymir and her life to some extent. So changing anything about her could change them entirely. I left it open HOW the Wolf changed things exactly, as I have multiple ideas- maybe the Beast Titan is the one that seeks freedom now, maybe the Wolf Titan is the 10th Shifter, come to set Ymir and her bloodline free as she did him. Either way, while Canon Ymir freed the pigs out of pity, she freed the wolf more out of admiration.

This idea jumped into my head because of two reasons. AoT is heavily Norse based in a lot of things, and despite the Titans being devouring monsters, Fenrir- the evergrowing Wolf that devours the WORLD- is never used at all. The other reaso is I never saw Eren's spriit animal being a bird or anything, I saw it as a wolf. It fits his nature a bit better.

Hope you all enjoyed this little bit.