CRONIN'S POV~
I stand at the top of the large trees, watching the titans below. They lazily walk around, scratching at the trees. I guess Eren should start practicing with me, these titans couldn't do much damage to him.
I had hoped that he could master the quick switch to a human from his titan form easily, but I guess I overshot it. Bagil had to cut him out most of the time. It disappointed me to see that my teaching wasn't doing anything.
Two grappling hooks embed into the body of the tree I was standing on. Jane flies neatly to my side, unhooking the hooks from the trees. "Captain, someone is here." she says, breathing hard. I arch an eyebrow.
"Why would someone come here?" I grab my handgrips and connect two blades to them. She shrugs. I jump off of the tree and shoot a hook into the next one. I continue this long repeated proses until I reach the outer limit of the trees. I stop on a large branch, looking for the person.
"Captain, everyone is over here." Jane points with her blades, I look over were she pointed, to see my squad staring at a tall man. He wasn't wearing any Survey Corps clothing, not even 3D maneuver gear. How would someone outside of SC know about where we were training?
I sigh and repeat the hooking an unhooking. I land next to Philip, he greats me with a hello. I nod.
"Who are you?" I ask the man. His shirt was hung loosely on his body, and his brown pants were tucked into his boots. He lazily lifts his head to look at me. There was a glint in his green eyes. I growl.
I swing my arm at him. My squad gasps as my fist hits his face. He steps back from the rebound.
"Why did you leave me that night!" I hiss. "I was almost eaten by a titan!"
"I had to, your training was over. Erwin told me to leave when I was done. " he cups his cheek. I step forward. "You could have visited me."
"You travel all the time! How am I gonna know where you are!" I swing a kick at him. He blocks it quickly and swings at my stomach. I cringe, he hasn't forgotten that I always leave my stomach open. I bend over in pain.
"I do have a house." he spits. I slowly stand upright. My anger flares, I send a flurry of punches at him. Only a few actually hit him. He was still fast. His fist flys and smacks me hard it the jaw. I hear a snap. I curse, cupping my mouth. Blood fills my cheek. I spit and continue to attack Vince. An arm raps around my waist and I'm lifted off of the tree branch. I flail in the air for a moment then relax. I'm put down. I turn around and give a dirty look to Ren.
Vince lazily wipes his mouth with his sleeve. I glare at him.
"Captain?" Philip questions, looking between us.
"This is Vincent Houg, he taught me how to be a titan shifter." I grumble.
"Wait, theres more titan shifters?" Bagil asks. I nod.
"Most are kept a secret though." I scratch my arm. My squad goes silent. I arch my eyebrow. "Don't worry about them."
"Oh no, I'd worry about them." Vince walks up behind me. I elbow him in the gut.
"Please continue what you were doing before he came." I gesture to Vince. My squad nods and leave the branch. Eren was already working on shifting and the others stood look out. I turn to Vince. "Why did you come." I cross my arms. He shrugs and puts his hands in his pockets.
"Thought you might want some help with training the young titan boy." he nods towards Eren's titan. "He's getting better but he's not great."
I purse my lips. I really did need help with Eren. It was taking to long for him to catch on to the skills he needed to know. But Vince was an idiot, a drunk. He was barely a teacher. I'm surprised I even became what I am today. I had to give him credit though, he was an insanely good titan shifter.
"Fine. Help him." I step back. Vince grins and jumps off the branch. I see him bite down on his hand. There was a flash of light and a tall titan appears. Vince's titan was almost exactly like him. It slouched, its black hair was longer than his shoulders. It looked extremely cocky.
Eren's titan looks up from the tiny titan attacking its leg. Eren stands tall. Probably wanting to be taller. Vince's titan was taller than mine. 28 meters give or take. I sit down on the branch and watch the lesson commence. Eren looks up at me, I nod.
Vince doesn't attack. He signals for Eren to copy him. Vince finds a strong branch and hangs onto it. His arms were a perfect ninety degrees. I remember this from my training. It was awful. I felt it through the titan.
Eren copy's Vince, his form was sloppy but he stayed. Vince didn't move. He hung perfectly still. Already I see Eren's arms to shake. Vince pulls his chin above the branch with ease. He was doing a pull up. Eren struggles but completes one.
I sigh and stand up. Vince was going to train Eren the whole night, I might as well do some things of my own.
***
It was well past twelve when a sweaty Vince walked into my tent. "That kid does not stop." he grunts. His shirt was soaked through. I smelt him from my cot. I was reading up on plans Erwin sent.
"How did he do?" I set the papers down and sit up.
"Fine. Do you have any water?" he rubs his hand on his throat. I narrow my eyes.
"You're not telling me everything." I hand him my water bottle. He takes a swig and throws it back.
"He did great. Don't worry about it. He was so damed determent to get transforming right. I'm going to stay the night." he walks out of the tent. I purse my lips. He wasn't telling me something.
I sigh and blow out my candle. I was to tired to fight.
Sleep came hard. My brain wouldn't shut up. I thought about having a glass of whiskey to calm myself but that could lead me to drink to much. I've never seen myself drunk but I've heard stories. I was to much like Vince.
Vince came home drunk many more times than he should. He would break a couple of things and laugh a lot and then pass out.
Vince is my guardian. Well was. I was to rambunctious for my parents to handle so they abandoned me. I was to young to understand what was happening though. Vince was currently in the Survey Corps when that happened. He was one of the first titan shifters. But he was looking for a young orphan child. Erwin wanted more titan shifters.
Vince told me that when he found me I was fighting with the largest orphan. He was nine and I was three. I didn't win but I put up a good fight. Vince took me in. He brought me to the SC base. I was put into training instantly. I stayed at Vince's grandmothers house when he was away. His sister was there too. I got a little bit of female time but I spent most of my time with men.
I shifted for the first time when I was ten. It was amazing. I felt powerful. Vince told me that my titan was terrifying. He described it as if it was a fairy tale. Vince was the best during those times. But the older I grew the more distant we became. He came home drunk. I felt like I was the guardian of him.
One day he took me outside of the walls. He left me in the forest in which we were in currently. Like Vince told me, Erwin said to leave me once we were done training. But Vince took it to literal. I was sixteen when he left me.
I tried to find my way back. I had 3D maneuver gear but I was just starting to use them. I got tangled up in the wires. It cut into my back, deep. I was trying to get back to the trees when a titan saw. I was forced to shift. The titan was extremely close when I did. It was pulverized. I ran to the walls as fast as I could. I never saw Vince after that.
The scars never healed.
