✓ Blood Lust (Levi Ackerman - Attack on Titan) #wattys2021

Chapter Eighteen

"All soldiers! Prepare for battle!" my father yells. He had put me beside him in the formation, and I don't feel that honored since the people around him do drop like flies. Currently, our formation has failed and we're surrounded by Titans and we can't do the avoid maneuver that worked in the past.

We go into the forest, switching to ODM gear to take down oncoming Titans, going back to our horses when the forest clears again, putting us at an advantage again. Reiner turned back into a Titan, as well as Ymir, taking Christa, or Historia as her name is actually. I see my old comrades from training on Reiner's Titan body, hoping they can take him down, as I don't think I can catch up on horse back.

Erwin does a complete turn around, leading the Titans head on towards Reiner. I look over in alarm. This isn't good.

"All soldiers! Disperse!" he yells as my comrades on Reiner's body flee. I turn with the rest of the soldiers, putting distance between myself and the horde.

"All soldiers charge!" my father yells again, pointing his sword at the Titans fighting again, and I turn my horse around towards the chaos. "The fate of humanity will be determined in this very moment! There is no future where humanity can inhabit these lands without Eren!" He lifts his right hand in the air, sword to the sky to try and lead us to probably our deaths. "We recover Eren and immediately retreat!" He makes the salute with the sword in hand. "Give your hearts!" His white horse rears back before shooting in that direction, mine following suit and I hear more soldiers following behind us.

My father puts his right hand up with is sword in it, directing. "Advance." I'm on his left, nodding.

A scream leaves my throat when his body is ripped from my vision. "Dad!" I don't care about the mission anymore, making my decision in a split second, turning to my gear and attaching myself to the legs of the Titans holding my father by his right arm. I propel myself up it's naked body, thankful that it seems to be sticking to four limbs and not upright.

He continues to shout orders as I get closer to the Titan's nape. I don't think he's even seen me yet. I'm thankful, as he'd yell at me for disobeying orders, I just know it.

My blade slices throw the weak part just as it goes for his head, the body falling over. I slide down, cradling my bleeding father's body, going into my satchel for bandages.

"Use your hair band to create a tourniquet," he groans out. I nod, pulling out my hair tie in one movement, using it on his upper arm that is still there, tying it as tight as it will go, hoping it will stop the bleeding.

"I have matches and alcohol in my bag." He whistles, calling over his horse. I dig out the items, cleaning the wound before burning the area together. My father doesn't even make a sound, and my admiration for him go us higher.

"Titan coming over. Cut heel then take out nape," he orders me, starting to float in and out of consciousness. I nod, standing up and pulling out both out of my blades. I climb onto my horse, leaving my fathers next to him. I lead the Titan away before taking it down relatively easy. It was a small metered Titan, oblivious to the battle happening feet from it. I return to my father. More of his troops catch back up with him, concerned as well as leading Titans over to him.

"I can be replaced. Find Eren and retreat!" he tells them as they get eaten.

"Dad, we need to get out of here. I didn't waste my hair tie on you just to leave you out here to be eaten." I help him stand, leading him over to his horse.

"Lilly? What are you doing here?" He looks at me, confused. "Wait, Eliora. Sorry. I knew that."

"You lost an arm, Dad. Stop thinking." I push his body onto the horse, placing the reins into the one good arm. "Don't fall off."