Fallen but Found || PoruKoru

Level 2

YEAR 850 - SHIGANSHINA DISTRICT

Colt sighed as he lazily drew on the ground with his stick. He was bored. Not an uncommon occurrence, seeing as he had virtually nothing to do. It was fun to play tic-tac-toe in the sand with it, but it wasn't winter anymore, and it had disappeared.

He remembered playing games like that with Porco. Their favourite had probably been Grandma's footsteps, but he wasn't sure. His memories were not as clear as they used to be.

But he remembered Porco. He would forever remember him.

As he debated heading off to find something more interesting, he heard a titan in the distance.

It was time for him to hide.

YEAR 850 - TROST DISTRICT

Porco panted as he collapsed on the ground. He was tired after running for so long, especially once he had realised that he didn't know where the camp was. It was more than just a race- it was a test of their perception and survival skills.
He looked around, noticing that the sun had started to set. He groaned. That meant that they had been running for a while since they had started at around noon.

Just a little more, Porco thought, walking towards the group of cabins he saw in the distance. Once he made it to the camp, Magath was already there, waiting for him and the other arriving recruits.

"Congratulations, soldier!" Magath said, leading Porco to one of the cabins. "You've completed the first exercise! Your reward? Dinner!"

Porco didn't even register that anyone else was in the cabin with how fast he dashed to the cafeteria hall, grabbing a bowl of something (he was too tired to guess what) and a cup of water.

Just before he could flop down on one of the chairs, Bertholdt walked up to him and dragged him to the table where he sat with Annie and Reiner.

Annie raised her hand in a small wave, and Reiner gave him a small nod of notice.

"Pieck's not here?" He asked, taking a seat beside Bertholdt.

Bertholdt shook his head. "I haven't seen her since the race started."

Porco took a bite of his food and chewed slowly, even though he didn't feel hungry. He had expected the race to tire him out and leave him famished, yes, but knowing that Pieck hadn't yet arrived made his appetite disappear. Wasn't it also breaking some sort of friend code if he started eating without her? She'd get here soon, there was no need to rush.

Right?

It was completely dark out.

"Welcome back, our last soldier!" Magath shouted, drawing the attention of everyone in the cafeteria. "As you know, you'll not be getting any dinner tonight, so you should head to one of the cabins and get some rest! You'll need it!"

All of their eyes darted to the person standing beside him, their shoulders hunched and their head hanging.

It was Pieck.

As Porco looked around, he noticed the boy from before- Koslow, if he remembered correctly- looking smug, even with the amount of dirt and grime covering his face. It was obvious that he had just arrived, especially since he was still standing and hadn't gotten any food yet. Porco had expected him to come last, because of his obviously pampered childhood.

Pieck wasn't weak. She knew how to run, and could run even faster than Porco on some occasions. Her coming last just didn't make sense.

As Magath went back to talking about their future exercises, Porco watched Pieck slip out from his side and leave the building. Before he could lose sight of her, Porco quickly excused himself from the table, grabbing his tray and taking it with him.