Roads Untraveled

Chapter 5: Taking names and making friends

A year later, at age 9...

Oh, this is not happening! I'm dead! We're dead, we already have a reserved spot in hell and everything. Why this?! Why now!? Oh, please this can not be happening! Hange tried her best not to panic as she frantically searched the crowd of the buzzing market place, but given the situation, it was proven hard.

"Levi's gonna kill us! We are so dead! EREN!!!!!!" She called their missing ward for the umpteenth time in the last hour.

Ness pushed and passed another merchant. "It's hopeless! He can't hear us in this crowd. He can be anywhere by now!"

"Well, I'm sorry if I haven't quite resigned myself to a prolonged and painful death!" The hysterical woman exclaimed earning herself a few startled looks from the surrounding people.

For the people of Trost, seeing two frantic, terrified looking members of the ever-so-courageous Scouting Legion so distraught was strange to say the least. The two said frantic Scouts were supposed to have been looking after Eren- when the boy discovered that they where going to the marketplace to buy groceries, he nearly burst out in tears begging to come with them. However, they hadn't expected the market to be so busy and before long, the boy was no where to be found. Now, they had to find him before he got hurt, lost or worse- Levi finds them!

Only Heaven knew what would happen to them if he found out- their bodies would probably never be found. She grabbed a startled passerby and demanded to know if he had seen the tiny little runaway. The passerby, as soon as he was released, ran for his life afterwards. She growled in frustration and turned to her colleague. "Where the hell can he be!!!"

....

Meanwhile...

Eren happily wandered in the streets of Trost. He had long since lost sight of Hange and Ness, although at the moment, he didn't care much. He had never seen so many people all at once- it was strange and amazing all at once. Seeing people going on about their ordinary lives was very interesting.

Some people spared him a curious glance, while others simply ignored him. He rounded a corner and went down an alleyway. A cat suddenly shot past him, startling him. He looked at the fury beast curiously- he had seen cats outside the walls before, but those where bigger and were better left alone. Although, for some reason, most animals generally avoided him. Deep down, he knew the reason- the very reason was probably clawing at the walls right now.

Craving for human flesh...

He wiped the thought from his mind. Never again- he was safe, at least for now. That is, until he could join his brother and retake what was theirs- he'd kill every Titan on his path. He'll be the best scout out there, just like his brother. They would never have to know. He started walking on again in an attempt to rid himself of bad thoughts, gradually picking up his pace. He went down a series of alleyways and streets, no real destination in mind. Suddenly, the sound of laughter reached his ears- not the happy kind, but the savage and vile kind. The kind he imagined the titans made with their sickening grins. He peeked around the corner and his blood boiled- three boys surrounded a smaller blond boy, screaming insults and hurting him.They punched him in the gut. "What is it, refugee? Have enough!?" One mocked. "Why don't you hit back, huh? Or have you still not stolen enough of our food yet?"

"I'd rather take a few hits than brawl like a beast!" The younger boy spat.

"Oh, so I'm a beast now?!"

"Take a good hard look at yourself and tell me you're not acting like one. You resort to violence because your brain is the size of a walnut!" If Eren wasn't so mad he would have burst out in laughter- he liked this kid. "So, pummel me all you want. I've already won!"