Birdie (Levi x OC)

fourteen

The rhythmic thunder of hooves against the hard earth was the only sound in the suffocating darkness as we rode deeper into the heart of Wall Rose. The air was thick with the scent of damp pine and the copper tang of fear. Only the erratic flicker of moonlight and a few scattered torches guided us toward a horizon of absolute uncertainty.

Despite the fact that Titans were supposed to be dormant at night, I felt as though a thousand eyes were watching us from the shadows of the trees. I tightened my grip on the reins, mentally reciting Levi's final words like a prayer: Just stay alive...that's an order.

"We're making for Utgard Castle!" Hange's voice cut through the wind. She was hunched over her saddle, squinting at a map in the torchlight. "It's a ruined fortification to the southwest. It should give us the height we need to scout the breach!"

"Yes, Section Commander!" Moblit called back, spurring his horse to keep pace.

I rode knee-to-knee with Nifa. Her presence was a grounding force against the rising tide of my panic.

"You scared?" she asked. Her eyes were fixed forward, her silhouette sharp against the moonlight.

"Terrified," I admitted with a breathless laugh. "But as long as this squad is together, I think I can handle it."

Nifa glanced at me, a soft smile ghosting her lips. "I know what you mean. There's something about being with Hange and Moblit that makes the world feel...manageable. Even with monsters at the door." She paused, her tone turning uncharacteristically solemn. "Promise you'll survive this one, Birdie? No reckless heroics."

"Only if you do the same," I countered, reaching out to briefly squeeze her arm. She nodded firmly, a silent pact sealed in the dark.

As dawn began to bleed a sickly grey over the horizon, the forest fell into a silence so absolute it felt unnatural. No birdsong, no rustle of wind, just the heavy, oppressive stillness of a graveyard.

"Something's wrong," Jean muttered from my left, his hand hovering over his blades.

He was right. We broke through the tree line into a wide clearing, and the sight nearly stopped my heart. Utgard Castle stood some 500 meters ahead, a crumbling stone finger pointed at the sky. But it was swarming. Titans were crawling over the masonry like maggots on a carcass, their mindless groans carrying across the field.

"Shit," Hange hissed. She and Moblit exchanged a look of sheer dread before she drew her steel. "Everyone! Attack! Secure that stronghold!"

I kicked my horse into a gallop, the adrenaline finally drowning out the fatigue. If the Titans were focused on the castle, it meant there were survivors trapped inside, likely the cadets Mike had been sent to guard.

Mikasa was a blur of motion, her blades severing the nape of a five-meter Titan before I could even blink. As the carcass began to steam, a petite blonde girl emerged from the shadow of the stones, her face streaked with tears. She was joined by several others in tattered civilian clothes.

"Krista! Get back!" Mikasa ordered, her voice like ice. "We'll handle the rest!"

"Units in the rear, secure the perimeter!" Hange barked. She looked over at me, her eyes calculating. "Birdie! Get to those kids! Check for injuries and keep them clear of the crossfire!"

I veered my horse toward the cadets. "Is anyone hurt?" I shouted over the din of clashing steel.

"No," the girl—Krista—sobbed, her hands clutching her chest. "But Ymir...she's—"

She broke off, staring past me. I turned to see Eren crashing into the dirt. He had managed a kill, but his movements were sloppy, his coordination frayed by exhaustion.