Recon Corps: The Home of the Brave

The Year of 838- Nat’s POV:

Pain. Pain everywhere. Pain was all I could feel. I saw my parents, then looked at the swords that were in their cold hands-well, hand. I picked it up, it heavy and uncomfortable for me to hold. I dropped it, and trembled as the Titan cocked its head to the side, his chest; the Titan’s fingers and mouth were dyed red with my parents’ blood.

I bit my lip, my figure trembling as I slowly waited for him to turn around; to follow the faint sound of horses galloping. Wait-horses. I looked frantically to the stables, which-to my dismay- had been torn open, blood pooling out of it like a wave of scarlet drops crashing onto the shore of tread grass. I knew that they hid the foal in the bottom stable, but there would be no way that she would survive.

Not here.

Not outside of the wall. 

We weren’t supposed to be here. My family was supposed to be safe; we were supposed to live inside of the wall- Wall Maria. We were supposed to be merchants that sold goods to passerbys, not soldiers who fought and lived outside of the walls. I didn’t understand. Why did we deserve this?

I watched the Titan scoop up the slightly twitching form of my mother, who started to reach her left hand-the only hand she had- to my father’s sword, but the Titan easily snapped her wrist back, causing her to scream out in pain. I winced, my frame huddled in the corner that I had cowardly scurried into. I looked at the Titan with horror and pleading in my eyes; only to cover my mouth of its muffled cries as it bent her back, her amber eyes staring into my golden flecked green ones.

“O-Okaa-san…” I whisper, and feel myself sob quietly into my hand, my tears tracing over the lines etched on my fingers and the skin on the back of my hand, the other gripping my mother’s blade tightly. I see the Titan lick his lips, seeming to enjoy the feel of my mother’s soft-yet brittle- curls against his teeth and tongue, or the feel of her smooth skin enticing his tongue.

He turned to my father, who was slowly itching his way to his sword that was next to him, slowly getting up on his leg, stumbling and jumping into the air, his maneuvering gear glistening like a faint star in the air as he now clung to the Titan, stabbing his blade into the nape of the neck, only a half of a meter in. I look at him wide eyed, his moss green eyes connecting to mine as he tilted his head to the side lightly, as if he was scolding me-like when I would accidentally spill the water onto the hay of the stall of one of their horse’s, or when I refused to eat the vegetables that were to make me strong in my eyesight and frame.

I let out a soft cry as the titan slams itself onto the wall, hearing the crack of my father against it. I start to sob harder, my hands now trembling as I drop the blade, it clattering to the ground with a soft thunk, repeating a few times until it stayed still. Luckily, this was enough for the Titan to stop, turning to me curiously and hungrily as I stare at where my father was, his smile a little haunting as he sliced the skin out of the Titan’s neck, it giving a rear that smashed his bones, crippling him. Satisfied, my father dropped to the ground, like a topping of smoldering titan guts that were burning in the early sunlight.

Crawling to me, he slowly pressed his blood-dyed lips to my forehead, whispering words of love to me; but I only looked at him, blinking a few times, confused and concerned. He smiled a little, his other hand covering his abdomen, that was now a scarlet color. I let out a gasp, the sound of hoof against the grass louder and louder, until it rang in my ears. I wrapped my tiny arms around his head, crying as he kept kissing my head and uttering words of encouragement to me as he fell limp, his grass-colored eyes staring glazed up at the sky.

“Otou-san!!” I wail, shaking his shoulders meekly as I started to bawl again. “Otou-san, wake up!” I plead, rocking myself as I hear the drop of someone’s boots on the ground, then the pitter patter of feet walking into our destroyed house.