symbiosis » levi ackerman

chapter fifteen ; certain peril.

Fallan

Surprisingly, I slept well that night. Maybe it was the exhaustion from the strenuous training, but I suspected it had something to do with the way Levi had looked at me the evening prior. With one look, I knew I was in safe hands, and my worries for the expedition were settled.

As the sun began to rise, me and hundreds of Scouts walked into the courtyard, with our horses next to us. I stroked my chestnut mare and patted her once on the side. I'd named her Ed (or Eden) in loving memory of my brother. Now I knew the truth, naming my horse after a victim of cold blooded murder seemed like I was determining her fate. It was almost dismal. I shook the thought from my head and led Ed over to Levi, who was feeding his horse a sugar cube.
"Captain." I acknowledged. I looked to my left, and saw my squad mates for the day. Petra, Gunther and Eld were smiling and chatting, but Oluo had his arms crossed and a scowl on his face. I noticed Oluo had changed his hair from the last time I'd seen him, as it was now fashioned into a style I could only describe as particularly 'Levi-esque'.
"You ready Reid?" Levi asked and I turned my attention back to him.
"Yes sir! I won't let you down!" I beamed at him. It felt nice to be my usual positive self, it made a change from the dreary alter-ego I'd adapted to recently.
"Good." He replied bluntly, "You'll be positioned behind me, flanked by Petra on your left and Oluo on your right. Behind you will be Gunther and Eld."
A protective circle.
I suddenly felt embarrassment creep it's way inside of me, but I fought to push it away.
"Your objective is to survey. Don't engage unless I tell you to." Levi continued and I nodded.
"Over here!" He yelled, and the squad trudged over, "This is Lieutenant Fallan Reid. Play nice."
I smiled warmly at them.
"It's an honour to meet you Lieutenant." Eld spoke, his voice deep but merry. Gunther nodded in agreement and sent me a smile.
"It sure is! We've heard so much about you!" Petra exclaimed, I could tell she was a sweetheart. I hoped I would get along with her.
"Just don't get in the way." Oluo grumbled, kicking at stones on the floor. I raised an eyebrow at him dubiously, but Petra linked her arm through mine and squeezed it.
"Oh ignore him!" She giggled, then dropped her voice to a whisper, "He's got a bit of a man-crush on the Captain."
I chuckled as the pieces fell into place; the haircut, the cravat and the demeanour was all one big tribute to Levi.
A horn blazoned through the air, sending shivers down my spine. The expedition was commencing. Petra squeezed my arm once more then detached herself from me.
"Mount up and assume formation." Levi shouted over the bustling atmosphere. I put my foot through the stirrups and hauled myself up onto Ed, patting her side gently to calm her. A gentle breeze rustled through the air as I felt the wings of freedom emblazoned on my cloak fly out behind me. The atmosphere was intense, almost alive with nerves and anticipation. I guided Ed a few metres behind Levi, and looked to Petra as she settled beside me. A second horn sounded signalling the official beginning of the reconnaissance expedition beyond the walls.

We rode forward for a good half an hour without spotting any titans. Being positioned in the central flanks, it wasn't often that we actually encountered many titans. It was only when they broke through the Left and Right Guards that we were forced to attack. However, in the Vanguard, we were the front lines, and I'd expected to see at least one. The squad had engaged in small talk, laughing and joking between themselves, something I'd noticed Levi hadn't bothered to include himself in. The air felt strange - something was off.
"Petra?" I asked, and she looked over to me enquiringly, "Is this normal?"
I didn't need her to answer, I knew it wasn't.
She shook her head, furrowing her brows.
"Usually as soon as we head out of the gates we encounter at least a few 2 metre variants."
Abnormal behaviour, exhibit one.
I made a mental note to record this in the write-up.
"Maybe they're having a nap?" Gunther chuckled, earning a round of laughter from the group, excluding Levi and Oluo of course.
Suddenly, a scream erupted, if you could even call it that. It was almost like an animalistic roar that rippled through the air, causing our horses to whinny and buck. I fought to keep control of Ed, tightening my grip on the reigns and whispering soothing words to her. She steadied, but the ground began to shake. I felt my head pound as adrenaline rushed through my veins.
"Was that a Titan?" Eld yelled, fighting to steady his mate.
"Can't be. Their vocal cords aren't advanced enough to make those sounds. They're limited to grunts and groans!" I shouted back at him. There was a pounding, and the ground shook more.
"Look! Straight ahead!" Petra exclaimed, and on the horizon I saw what looked like tens of Titans charging at full speed towards us.
"Impossible." I whispered. I prayed to God I would make it out of here alive, this was a scientific gold mine. Never had the Titans showed any intelligence or initiative, but they were charging towards us full pelt. Usually the mindless beasts lumbered around aimlessly and grabbed at any human they could find. I glanced over and saw Mike's squadron about 15 metres away. 6 of us, and 5 of them. 11 soldiers against what looked like approximately 15 Titans. We couldn't let them break through the Vanguard, and expose Erwin and the Cart Guards.
"Captain Levi! Are we changing course?" Petra yelled, but Levi didn't answer. He didn't even turn his head to look at us. A lump began to rise in my throat.
"Captain Levi?" Oluo shouted, but still no reply. There was a few moments silence, and the Titans were gaining rapidly. We were going to run right into them. I looked around - empty fields for miles. Impractical environment for our gear, we'd have to use the Titans bodies as stepping stones to reach the nape. My breathing became ragged, the familiar pool of anxiety returning in my stomach.
We were headed straight into a death sentence, and Levi showed no signs of stopping.