Hello, Stranger (Hange Zoë x f!reader)

Part four

The base was bigger than you had imagined. Huge, in fact. You had tentatively skirted round the edges, padding beyond the reach of the glinting torchlight, admiring the building in its fullest as it was bathed in the first light of morning. Stained glass windows, which you had only seen in books, were placed gingerly amidst the ornate bricks of the great structure. You counted at least twelve of those windows as you had circled around. You were confident too that it could house at least a hundred people, if not more. Corridors seemed heaped on one another creating a veritable maze. A courtyard paved with age worn stone seemed the centre of the entire facility, edged with vegetation creeping up through the cracks, and with ample space. Attached to it was a separate building for horses, a stable, you were near sure of the name, and near every stall seemed occupied. Suddenly it made sense for the courtyard to be so be large. Coats of browns, burgundies and blacks, all nestled together, shifted uneasily within their confines upon noticing you. Casting a sideways glance, you scampered back into the retreating shadows, for fear of causing a ruckus.

A general bustle echoed from the walls as the light grew. You hadn’t planned this far ahead. Getting here was the goal. That was achieved. What was the next post? Your first priority was to hide your backpack. If it was left out in the open Keep yourself hidden, for now at least. You wanted, needed to learn more about how this place worked. Who went where and when, where Hange would be, and, rather importantly, did everyone walk around with swords all the time? You had taken to obscuring your belongings in a tree some thirty odd metres from the building, securing it in the uppermost branches and praying it wouldn’t rain. What body, then? A wolf would scare them. Not as big of a threat as a titan, but enough to put down on sight. A mouse would be liable to be stepped on, a rat to be killed as vermin. A house animal, then? A cat. Cats were generally unthreatening, the size of them. Less so than a dog, often. Cat it would be. You shook yourself as your skeleton reshaped, muscles snapping, contracting, contorting, until only a small ball of fluff was left.

You blinked down at your paws. You were tiny, tinier than you’d ever been. Your fur was sleek, short, H/C and well preened. You experimentally unsheathed your newly formed claws, and revelled in their sharpness. They would do just fine to help you manoeuvre this new environment. Your head snapped over to the courtyard. Several soldiers were pacing around it now, off to do whatever they did in the mornings. You dropped to the ground, keeping yourself low. None of them had seen you as you scampered past, not yet at least. You would hide in the stable, it seemed as good a place as any for a cat. People would be less likely to chase you off from there if they thought you would keep mice down.

The horses didn’t mind you now, small and unthreatening as you were, as you wove between their legs searching for somewhere warm. The exhaustion of running for hours on end and two transformations had finally caught up with you, and for now, you first priority was a nap. You could learn more later. An unoccupied stall in the back seemed as appealing as anything, with enough hay that it could be made into a makeshift nest. Stalk ends dug into your skin like needles as you wove them into place, but once they were flattened, it was surprisingly comfortable. Warm, spongy, and just quiet enough to lull you to sleep in a matter of heartbeats.

“Hello there.”

You grumbled, attempting to hide your face further under your forepaw, hoping the disembodied voice would leave you in peace.

“Where’d you come from?”

You flinched slightly as a warm hand plunged into your fur, rubbing patterns into your skin. A single eye opened, and you were greeted to someone looking at you in fascination. However, not Hange. A kid. Blonde, and wearing that same uniform. You lifted your head, leaning into his touch as he gingerly laced an ear around your ear. An involuntary purr rumbled in your chest. You could see why cats put up with humans.

“Aw, do you like that kitty?”

He chuckled softly at your reaction. There was a gentleness to him, you mused as you blinked up at his face. Blue eyes gazed down at you, filled with the simple pleasure of interacting with an animal. He didn’t look like a soldier, he seemed far too innocent.

You stretched, stepping out of your nest and butting his boot with your head. It was instinctive, and judging from his expression, the kid liked it.

“Aren’t you a cutie. You hungry kitty? Thirsty?”

You mewed in agreement. Now that he mentioned it, you were. The shadows had shifted since you had closed your eyes, it seemed mid afternoon now. Several horses had left, and more soldiers had congregated in the courtyard in groups. They seemed in good spirits, jostling and joking amongst themselves. The kid gave you one final stroke before turning on his heels and heading off, likely to get you that promised snack. You followed him as far as the entrance, stopping to bask in the sunlight and wait for him there. You could get a good view of the whole building here in the centre. Heavy wooden doors creaked with use by a set of steps. It seemed one of the main entrances.

The blonde had scampered through those doors, pushing past his comrades to be swallowed up by the interior. You scanned the faces of those outside. All so unfamiliar, all so unique. You saw more faces in that separate blink than you’d seen in a lifetime. What were their lives like, you wondered. You weren’t entirely sure you wanted to know. Each life had been touched by the titans, in one way or another, and never positive. Yet they still found the strength to keep going, to keep fighting, to just keep on living. You weren’t entirely sure you could do the same.
You gaze snapped back as the blonde soldier came back into view. He bore two dishes, walking slowly in an attempt to save their precious contents.

“It’s not much, but it’s all we have at the minute. I’m sure you’d rather have meat.”

He placed the two before you. Bread and water. It smelt fresh, and felt soft as you tore off your first mouthfuls. It was like nothing you’d ever tasted. Your own cooking had nothing on this. It was demolished in under a minute, before you turned to the water and downed as much as you could, licking the final few droplets from your chin.

“You were hungry then. Not enough mice, hm?”

Your nose wrinkled. You’d have to be desperate to eat a mouse.

“Armin!"

A new voice beckoned the kid from the courtyard. Armin. The name suited him somehow.

“Coming! I’ll bring you more tomorrow, ok kitty?”

You purred in agreement. A soft smile played on his lips. He waved as he took off to meet his friends, presumably. Another boy, and a girl, all of similar ages. Humans couldn’t be that bad. The second one you’d met had cared for you, small innocent and vulnerable as you were. Slowly you were starting to believe your decision was the right one.