positions | jean kirstein

chapter six: expedition

!! Spoiler Warning: Attack On Titan season 1 (Female Titan Arc)

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We were now in Titan territory. For a short time, the formation works as planned and the operation runs smoothly. Jean and I are positioned at the left wing center while the rest of our squad is spread out throughout the formation.

We quietly ride besides each other the entire time, but the silence is surprisingly peaceful.

We hear the sound of flares from the right flank. In the sky, multiple lines of black flares are shot.

"Damn," I hear Jean curse under his breath. "An Abnormal."

We turn our heads back to the front, and in the distance, I could see a forest up ahead.

We don't get a change of direction of Erwin, and we charge straight towards it.

The center with Erwin, the carts, and the Special Operations Team, all headed through the forest. The left flank begin to wrap the perimeter and a relay person approaches us.

He gives commands to Jean, and Jean repeats them to the soldiers of the left flank.

"We are to stop here. Everyone tie your horses up, we are switching to ODM. Head up the trees and do not let any Titan get in."

"Yes, sir!" they yell in unison before beginning to grapple up the trees.

"You and I are needed in the forest," Jean says from besides me.

I give him a nod as I shoot my grapple into the forest and head towards the center, Jean following close behind me.

Landing on a tree branch, I look down below. There, the special target restraining system is set up. They were big barrels on both sides with a ton of steel harpoons within them. Commander Erwin and another captain in a conversation across from us.

They must be trying to trap the Abnormal. But why?

And then I heard it.

The sound of horses and the stomping of a Titan getting louder and louder. Down on the path, Captain Levi, his squad, and Eren sprint through on horseback, followed closely behind by the Titan.

The Titan is bigger than any other one I have encountered. It had short blonde hair with pale blue eyes, and its physique resembled that of a female.

It walks right into the Commander's trap and the noise of the barrel firing its arrowhead wires fills the forest. The harpoons pierce into the Female Titan skin, immobilizing it. Its hand was outstretched to behind its neck, protecting its nape.

Then I realized.

This isn't just an Abnormal. It has intelligence. This is a titan-shifting human, just like Eren.

As if he could read my mind, Jean spoke out.

"Erwin must've made us come here to identify the human inside the Titan."

We watch as Captain Levi lands on its head. He says something to the Titan, but it is inaudible from the tall tree we stood on. We stood there on the branch in silence, waiting for our next command from Erwin.

"So," Jean says from behind me and I turn to face him. He hesitates before speaking.

"Are we going to talk about what happened last night?"

I widen my eyes.

You have got to be kidding me.

I originally planned on discussing our 'moment' when we returned back after the mission, but I guess we were doing this now.