Witch's Vein and Blood Stains (ereri)

7. Unfamiliar Grounds

It wasn't hard to find Eren. The boy had a penchant to wander, and he particularly seemed to like meandering down the dirt path away from the bustle of the base towards the muted solitude of the moors. Levi spotted his green cloak easily through the bare branches of the Palleen Forest. He would have blended into the deep verdant of the Dark Woods seamlessly in such a shade, but the Palleen had been wasted for centuries now, and any colour stood out starkly amidst the pallid brown twigs.

Levi approached curiously, straining to see what the other was up to. He'd made his way deeper into the woods and was now crouched on the ground, hunched over with his cloak hanging low in a way that concealed from Levi what he was up to. As he drew closer, he saw the erratic and jerky movement of his shoulders that showed he was digging, for what, Levi had no clue.

"Eren?"

The witch didn't appear to hear him. He was panting with exertion, completely focused on his work with a single-minded determination. As Levi approached he caught movement from the corner of his vision and froze when he saw a low silhouette slink slowly closer as if mirroring his proximity. A mangy old wolf with watchful amber eyes tracked his motions carefully from the shadow of a nearby tree. It pointedly didn't seem concerned by Eren's presence, just his. Levi stared it down for a few more seconds before deciding it had no intention of attacking, and drew closer to Eren, who was now shivering violently with the evening wind that the stripped trees did little to block.

Levi could see his hands now, and was alarmed to see them bare and bloody, scrambling futilely at the frozen earth. He'd barely made a dent in the hard ground and his fingernails were broken and jagged, mud and blood smeared up scraped knuckles pale and bloodless from the cold. Levi dropped to his knees and grabbed them in his gloved ones, finally startling Eren out of his daze. He looked up with unfocused, wide eyes and Levi saw tear tracks glistening on his cheeks.

"Eren, what's wrong?! What are you doing?"

The witch-boy blinked, gathering his bearings. He looked from Levi, to his bleeding hands clasped in his, and at the ground where he'd been digging. He was silent, as if stunned and trying to piece together what he was seeing. Levi wondered if he'd been in some sort of trance or something. He shook the hands held between his own, gentle but insistent, and leaned in so Eren was forced to meet his concerned frown.

"I'm cold," The boy whispered. His lips were pale and chapped, his skin blotchy from the chill, but his eyes were as green as if they'd bled the life from the woods around them. His shivers grew as though his body was only now beginning to register its discomfort. Levi drew closer, releasing Eren's hands to draw his hood up and adjust his cloak over his shaking shoulders. He glanced towards the wolf when he saw movement and saw that, while it hadn't drawn closer, its body had lowered and tensed as if waiting to spring. He wasn't too concerned; there were at least ten feet between them and his dagger was close at hand. He rubbed up Eren's shoulders and wiped the tears from his cheeks, accidentally leaving smears of dirt from his gloves.

"Eren," he said, more quietly now. Eren's face twitched towards his in acknowledgement, but his gaze was fixed on his failed digging attempt. "What were you going? Why are you crying?"

Eren's head shook minutely, and his brows stitched together.

"I was trying to dig a well."

Levi couldn't help the startled bark of laughter at that.

"A well?"

"Like in the Dark Woods. For offerings and stuff." Eren's frown grew as he glared down at his attempt at such. He looked down at his ruined hands and sighed dejectedly.