Filthy Dog- Riren

Old dog, New Tricks

Hanji starts to screech like the mad scientist she is while Erwin keeps a firm grip on her collar.  The boy, or Brat, looks much older than when I first had seen him, he appeared to be at least seven years old or so.  "Brat."

"Levi, you mad?" The Brat slowly stars to walk towards me only stopping a few feet away, "I didn't know how to tell you."

The brat seems much more educated than when I last saw him also, though, the last time I saw him was four days ago, he grew to fast.  It occurred to me that perhaps his body development accelerates rapidly between forms, but I could barely make sense of my dog changing into this shitty kid. 

"I'm not sure of how much help I may be, but I am well experienced with the area west of the wall," He turns to Hanji,  "The place their held up in is actually where I was living with my family until we got separated.  It has a tunnel only accessible with a code, I have the code and know where the tunnel entrance is, if you would allow me to help you." Hanji is screeching like a crazy fan girl seeing her favorite soldier or the first time. 

"YES, YES YOU MAY HELP MY BABY SHIFTER, COME GIVE MAMA A HUG." Even with Erwin's tight grip Hanji is pulling them forward towards me and Brat.  Erwin's eyes seem to pop from his head as he tightens his grip attempting to dig his heels into the ground.  Brat sighs and makes his way to crazy scientist who only squeals even more upon him nearing her, to everyone's surprise, Brat had actually went ahead and wrapped his short arms around Hanji's waist as tight as possible.  "Aren't you the sweetest little gum drop, ugh." Hanji bends down picking up the boy and resting him on her hip as a mother would her own child.  Brat smile brightly, "I like you Hanji, you're really smart, and cool." Hanji's laugh rings out through the room as Erwin drops her collar, seeing no need to restrain her, "Cool, that's a new one..." Hanji pauses momentarily, "Do you actually have a name, I'd hate to continuously call you brat?"

Brat looks towards me with his big annoying Caribbean eyes as if to ask me what his name is.  I plant a sneer on my features before deciding on the name I first gave him,"Eren is your name." Hanji looks at both of us annoyed, "Don't you have a name your parents called you baby." Eren shakes his head feverishly, "I don't remember that much, because I was two when I they disappeared." Hanji gaspe over dramatically,"Who took care of you?"

I to lean in, interested in this knowledge.  "Nobody, I stayed home for a while, but when I got hungry I was forced to go out and look for food like my dad once did.  That's  what I was doing until four, when you guys found me."

"So your four?" I ask.

Eren shakes his head slowly, "I'm ten years old Levi, we age very quickly as dogs."

Hanji purses her lips, it's her way of expressing her excitement for a new discovery, "Oh dear, you're rather fascinating Eren." Hanji starts to rub pieces of his hair between her fingers, here she goes with her experiments once again.

I sigh, "Hanji, leave the boy out of your experiments for now, we need him to help with the oh-so important rescue mission." Hanji lets out a loud groan, but still keeps Eren on her hip, not hat he minds at all seeing as he is watching his toes move around. 

Erwin, who has been quiet as usual, decides to clear his throat grabbing the attention of everyone. Eren noticeably stiffens up in fear when the man's eyebrows rested on him, he quickly buried his face into Hanji's neck facing away from Erwin. "I'll leave dressing the child for the mission to you all.  Prepare to ride out of the walls, I will assemble the teams, dismissed." Erwin turns his back on us walking back to his large desk.  I turn on my heel leaving the room with Hanji and Eren directly behind me.  "Hanji, may I please have Levi." Glancing behind myself, I see Hanji's face fall slightly, "Of coarse Eren dear." She let's the boy down to his feet and he runs up next to me reaching for my hand.  At first I want to swat him away, but I don't want to spend days searching for the damned Brat once more.  His little hand slips into my bigger one with ease, but when he tries to lace our fingers, he can only wrap around two of my fingers.  He soon let's a binding smile reach his face as he skips along swinging out hands and singing like a cat in pain. 

I sigh putting up with him, though I am rapidly approaching my end when Hanji starts to fan girl about how cute we are and what not.  I had to find him a uniform to match ours, it was made illegal a few years ago to go beyond the walls if not dressed in survey crops uniform, or unless a guest of high stature.  "Hanji, any clue on where I can find a child sized uniform."

Hanji didn't answer for a while, "Perhaps, in the storage room where we keep the holiday decorations, we dressed a scarecrow in survey Corp clothes that were to tight for any of us. I can check and come to you room." I nod without looking back to make sure she saw, but she did because next I heard footsteps quickly going down a hall to my right.  Looking back, Hanji is gone.  The brat, Eren, is still swinging our arms and skipping, but his annoying singing has died down.  I stare at him as we make our way to my room, when his eyes connect to mine I quickly turn away with my face feeling as if it is on fire, damn Brat.  Eren let's go of my hand dashing down the hall to my room and pushing the door right open running inside.  I groan still walking, kid's are so damn annoying, what was the point of running like that, there is none.  Upon entering my room I see Eren is already sitting next to my chair hugging the damn bunny and talking to it, he asked it if it wanted to have a tea party at his house.  "Eren." I say.

Eren looks up to me from the floor with wide innocent eyes, "Yes Levi?"

His eyes grip me in an iron cage, it's impenetrable, but honestly, I don't want to escape one bit.  I find myself kneeling before the boy, then plopping down across from him.  I make a hand person and begin to speak out the side of my mouth "Hello Eren, I'm your best friend, Nahna." I felt ready to kill myself in that moment from the embarrassment, until Eren lets out the most beautiful laugh.  "Hello Nahna, this is our new friend Co." Says Eren holding up his bunny and making him smile.  "No Eren, your my friend only, Grrr." I start to attack the bunny in Eren's hand and Eren makes the bunny fight back all the while laughing. 

"Levi, I thin-" I quickly shot up from the ground to face Hanji, who has the smugest smile across her face.  "Oh, don't let me stop you," Hnaji walks in lying a bunch of clothes on my bed. "I'll just leave these here, nnnn departure is in 20 Minutes." Hanji awkwardly walks backwards out of the room with the stupid smile still plastered on her stupid shitty face, I'm going to beat her face in one day.