Change of Heart

Chapter 4

I saddled up Ember and leapt on, using a small stool for support. I awkwardly rode her out to where Levi was waiting.

"Took you long enough." He mutters.

"I'm unstable, this is the first time I've ridden her!"

He rolled his eyes.

"This isn't the first time you've ridden a horse. Come on brat, quit acting like a child."

I tilt up my chin, miffed, and ride past him.

"So, what kind of training are we doing?"

"We need to train Ember as well. She's in good conditioning, but she needs to learn to gallop for long periods of time with short water breaks. Let's start with a simple warm up. Gallop cross-field, but ease into it."
He demonstrates quickly for me.

I nod and pull back on the reins. I start at a trot and ease through canter and into a gallop. We pace across the field and come to a walking stop in front of Levi.

He nods for me to follow him and starts patterning around the field.

"You'll train with Ember every day, and make sure she is clean and taken care of." He calls over his shoulder.

"Got it!" I yell back.
I begin to wonder if this kind of training is all that we'll be doing throughout the day, but knowing Levi, we will definitely be doing something more challenging.

I notice that we're slowly beginning to leave the field and gallop into the surrounding area.

"This is the easiest part."
He tells me, slowing to a trot and falling back beside me.

"What are we doing?" I ask, the trees coming into view.

He shrugs.

"We're going to practice diversion and getting away from Titans."

I stare at him like he's insane. Did he really bring Titans so dangerously close to the castle just so he could train me?
Is he crazy?

"No, I did not actually lure any of them here."
He says, reading my mind.

I sigh in relief.

"I'm going to be a titan imposter. Your job is to get away from me at all costs. The game ends when you've been eaten."
I give him a confused look.

"What if I 'kill' you?"

He looks at me for a while. The wind blows and combs through my hair, gently pushing it against my back and neck.

"Do you.... Honestly think you could beat me?" He pretends to laugh and rolls his eyes.

I huff and ride towards the entrance of the forest. He comes up behind me and gives me a twenty second head start. I enter the trees and start to think.

Weaving would help me to lose him, but it would make me go slower.
Staying straight would put me in his sights, but Ember might be able to outrun him. I couldn't decide right away, but outsmarting is my specialty. I decide to make a circle so that I would be behind him, but then go horizontally in a completely different direction. I make a swerve right into the trees, but the farther I go, the more the ground begins to cover in pine cones and branches, and Ember's hooves make a lot of noise.

"Shit." I curse to myself when I hear Levi coming in my direction. Then I have an idea.

"So you're playing titan, huh? Well, Titans don't eat animals."

I throw Ember's reins up onto a branch so they loop several times.

"So it's safe to leave her here."

And then I sprint into the trees.

I find a tree that is easy to climb and make my way up. From there I hop to a tree that wouldn't have been easy to climb. I repeat this several times. I finally come to rest on a sturdy branch far away from where I was before. I sit and look up at the sky, which is beginning to darken. I pull my jacket tighter across my body. It's winter, and beginning to get cold.

Occasionally I here what I think are hooves, but they fade as quickly as they come, and I begin to drift off into sleep.

______
When I awaken, someone is holding onto me and were skimming the ground. I look up and see Levi, wearing 3DMG.

He skids to a stop when I tug on his sleeve and we crash land and roll a few feet.

"You God damn brat! What the hell were you doing? It's winter and you were passed out up there."
I sit on the ground wincing.

"Why are you in 3DMG?" I ask, ignoring his question.

"I put it on so I could look for you faster. Walking and calling wasn't doing any good."

"What time is it?"

"22:14"
(Military time)

My eyes widen considerably. He spent that much time looking for me?
I smile and sit up more. Then I gently reach behind his neck and draw a line with my index finger.

"I win." I tell him.

I notice he has a slight tint to his cheeks.

"Don't come so close to me." He snaps.

"You're the one on top of me!" I gasp.

He rolls his eyes in annoyance and stands up. He starts walking without even giving me a hand up.

I push myself off the pine needle floor but fall back down, crying out slightly in pain.

In a few seconds he's back at my side, lifting me into his arms.

"You're a fucking idiot." He tells me.

"I know." I reply, turning my head into his warm chest and closing my eyes.
_____
(A/N: How was the chapter? 😂 I actually dreamt this so I was like idk I'll add it.)