Rachel's P.O.V
I am lead into Erwin's office. Hanji, Levi, Eren, Armin, Mikasa, and a few other high-ranking officers are all ready there. I stand in the middle of the room, glancing around at all those surrounding me. I let my gaze linger on Armin, who's soft smile sets my nerves to rest. Leaning up against the wall beside the boy, I stare Erwin down as I ask,
"So, what's the plan? I'm assuming you have one since you've called me here, Erwin." Sighing at my lack of the use of his 'title,' the blond man sits down at his desk, glancing up at me.
"As you know, our goal is to apprehend the Female Titan, and bring her in for questioning." I shrug one, massive wing in a gesture of nonchalance, as if to say, "Go on..." "We believe that it will be in our best interests to take action, and try to coax the Female out of hiding and into the open. That is why we've decided to launch the 58th Expedition."
"A 58th Expedition..." I pause, letting my wings slowly extend into a half-curled position. The feathers expand slowly, though my anger is all ready at its peak. "Are you crazy?!" He looks taken aback by my sudden outburst. "You lose enough soldiers every time you go out on a new Expedition, and now that you know that that thing is out there, you want to provoke it?!"
"We don't ever plan on sacrificing our soldier's lives–"
"No. You don't. But it ends up happening every time." I see Armin glance down out of the corner of my eye, before he speaks up,
"Rachel, I know the Expeditions are always the cause for many deaths, but in order to prevent more tragedies, we need to stop the Female Titan." I sigh. He does have a point... Plus, I might be able to see Fable again...
"Alright, Erwin Smith, but understand that, when it comes to the soldiers being in danger, I will do everything in my power to save them first to prevent the further loss of life."
~~~~
I am never doing this again. After agreeing to Erwin's plan, I was hidden under a tarp in the back of a wagon. If people ask about the big 'lump' that is me, the Survey Corps members say,
"Just extra supplies." My wings are scrunched up in the tiny space where I have to hide, and it is very uncomfortable. The feathers are scraping against the wood, and I feel the potential splinters that could rip out and impale the sensitive membrane just beneath the feathers at any moment. I spend the entire time tensed and ready to move; to get out and fly.
"Recon Corps, FORWARD!" Erwin's loud voice rings through the air, and the procession lurches forward. I bite back a cry of pain at the jolt it sends through my wings. Please no splinter, please no splinters– Once I hear the grinding of the gates closing behind me, Armin's voice materializes beside the wagon I am in.
"Rachel, are you alright?"
"I'm fine. Please tell me when we are far enough away so I can reveal myself." I feel rather than see Armin nod, and try to make myself more comfortable as the journey drags on. This reminds me of– I shake my head, refusing to delve into the past. After about ten minutes, I hear Armin speak.
"All right, Rachel. We're far enough away." I breath a sigh of relief. Throwing caution to the wind, I throw the tarp off and stretch out my wings, closing my eyes at the feeling of relief it brought. The wagon momentarily swerves, and I sheepishly think of the horse and the fear it must be experiencing, though the feeling is only temporary.
Finally...! Jumping off the back of the wagon, I take to the air, laughing as the familiar feeling of wind whips past me. I do a couple of flips and dives, hearing the gasps of awe from the soldiers below before leveling out, and descending until I am right above Erwin. My wings cast a large shadow on the ground, momentarily distorted by passing rocks and divots in the ground..
"So what is the plan, Erwin?" He looks up at me as the different wings of the formation begin to branch off into their respective positions.
"Keep an eye out for Titans! Our objective is the Forest of Giant Trees!" I nod, too happy to be bothered by the fact that Eyebrows is ordering me around. Flapping my wings once, I launch up into the sky with a smile on my face smiling. I whoop as I dive and rise quickly, tracing random patterns through the air.
It's certainly a great feeling... being free.
Armin's P.O.V
Wow... I stare in awe as Rachel flies through the air effortlessly. During this Expedition, Commander Erwin, Captain Levi, Squad Leader Hanji, Mikasa, Eren, a few other officers and I are placed in the middle of the formation. I can tell the commander has a hidden motive to the placement– he usually does.
"–Cadet Arlert! Pay attention!" Captain Levi's rough voice snaps me out of my thoughts, and I nod sheepishly.
"We will stake out in the Forest of Giant Trees until the Female shows herself! Then, we will use Hanji's traps to immobilize her!" I listen to Erwin's plan tentatively. It seems like something will go... wrong. As the 80-meter-tall trees come into view off in the distance, and uneasy feeling rises in my gut. It begins to tug incessantly until I glance over at Eren nervously, but he seems to be preoccupied with paying attention to steering his horse and staring up at Rachel. I return my gaze forward, furrowing my brows.
Something's not right.
Rachel's P.O.V
What is this feeling...? I glance forward at the giant trees that are appearing in the distance. Because of my increasing worry, I stop my erratic flight pattern, which catches the noticeable attention of Eren. The boy has been watching me fly freely, which makes me think of taking him on another flight soon. The malevolent feeling intensifies until I decide to lower my flight altitude until I am right above Erwin again.
"Erwin! Something feels wrong!" The blond looks up at me, and shouts,
"No Titans have been spotted yet! If the Female does decide to make a move, then she will surely attack when we enter the trees!" Erwin is suddenly forced to try and reign in his horse as it starts to neigh loudly, and attempts to throw him. I would have been amused if I wasn't scanning the surroundings. My super-hearing is picking something up... Something that sounds like loud, pounding footsteps....
My eyes widen in realization.
"Titans!" My shout pierces the air as I start to fly faster, pulling ahead of the group and heading for the tree line. Two 10 meter Titans appear, running full speed at the center of the formation where Erwin is still trying to control his horse. Acting quickly, I slice both their Achilles' tendons with my sharpest feathers before leaving the rest to Levi and Mikasa. Luckily, they finish the job quickly, but I am forced to focus on the trees once again as the sound of more loud footsteps fill the air. And not just a few regular sounds...
Hundreds. What is going on?! I glance down at Erwin and the group, and yell,
"Quick! Up in the trees, now!" Sending a glance my way, Erwin then shouts,
"Everyone! Use your gear to get into the trees!" The sounds of the gear fill the air as the soldiers fly upwards. I lower myself onto the branch that Levi, Erwin, Hanji, Eren, Armin, and Mikasa are standing on. I keep my wings outstretched in case I need a quick liftoff in order to protect my comrades, and keep my balance by gripping the bark of the tree tightly. "Status report." Erwin stares at me expectantly as I remain fixed on the path leading deeper into the forest.
"Titans. Hundreds of them." I turn to face the group, confusion and alarm on my features. "And they're heading straight for us."
YOU ARE READING
Flying on Her Wings (Attack on Titan)
FanfictionShe's lived outside the walls all her life. When the humans ventured outside Wall Maria, she protected them, and watched over them to the best of her ability. She saw what happened when the Colossal Titan attacked. The Forest of Giant Tr...
