Rogue

Part 2: Chapter 28: Roar

Part 2: Chapter 28

Roar

Light was faint and a fog hung in the air, shrouding the forest in a clandestine way, eerie yet calm. No creature stirred, still in their nests and dens as the sun had only barely peeked out from the horizon. Dew decorated the grassy blades, kicked up as he carried himself smoothly through the wood. Silent he was, a predator tracking his prey. He moved lightly, barely making a sound except for his hush breaths from jetting steam every so often. With his ears straight forward, he listened, each muscle movement calculated. Green pools held nothing but focus. As he always was when hunting.

His ears folded over, his body moving quickly, hair bouncing. His prey was not much further ahead. Hopefully his silent approach would prove successful. Atlas nearly hummed to himself as he continued to navigate. Today was finally the day – the day that he would start his combat training with his Mentor, Titus. He had been boiling over with enthusiasm ever since he had risen from his nest. In the past year, his training as Titus had informed was simply full of educating. He had gained so much knowledge about the world around him to where he was no longer ignorant but keen. He knew how to judge the time of day, what spots had more Mindless, borders of territories – technical things. However, what he found most fascinating was learning about the world around him such as what things were called and their purpose. He knew flowers by name and could place the corresponding title to any animal. He was aware of the things that the humans did in the woods. There was an orchard and mill that were in the forest and there were several roads that humans took throughout the Hunters' territory. They always gathered materials like clay from the riverbed and other natural materials to produce dyes and paints. They fished up north and gathered berries down south. They grew cotton to spool into clothes – things that humans wore upon their bodies. He learned about more customs of the pack. Such as how Advancers would bring a meal twice a week, how the Elders discussed rules to formulate new ones, the relationships between the pack and the humans, and so forth. There were things that he didn't like to learn either. An example being that only Advancers who were of five years of age could have contact with humans – and he himself wasn't old enough for such at four. It did displease him that he had to wait longer to see Eren, but as he learned – time flowed quickly. Of course, the pros outweighed the cons of being an Advancer. He could finally play with Kana and Tano and just simply be near them. There were more members of the pack that respected him and the harsh words from others lessened. He didn't have to be completely alone.

His favorite benefit however was his teacher and advice from his best friend.

Atlas rounded another bend, legs pumping just as quickly as his heart, gate vulturine. In addition to the knowledge that he had learned, he had taken note just how much he himself, his body, was developing. He had grown taller, his frame at least thirteen meters. His facial features had grown even more angular, jawline and eyes sharper – his chin very defined. Atlas had certainly taken notice of his developed muscles that were even more pronounced to the point where he could almost trace each one. They bulged as he moved and rolled with each shift. Titus seemed to have taken a great interest in his growth as well, which intrigued him to say the least.

Another jet of steam spilled from his incisors, he was getting closer to his destination and the conclusion to his hunt. In the time that had passed as well he was stunned to know that the strange dreams would reoccur. They were all similar, frighteningly so. And then there were the dreams in particular that made his blood cold even thinking about them. Upon awaking, His body would be infested in an eerie chill that cut down to the bone. His head would throb. All he could do afterwards was curl up in a fetal position as he screamed into his nest – his distressed cry thankfully unheard.