Humanity's Strongest Hope

Chapter Fifteen

A few hours ago...

Eren was driven by an unknown force that led him outside of Levi's room and down the stairs to the main door. His mind was foggy and he couldn't figure out why he was having trouble controlling his movements. Something was tugging at him, at the back of his mind, he was fighting to figure out what it was. From the time he'd left the Commander's office up until Levi went to sleep, his fears of losing control had disappeared. Eren hadn't felt a single threat to his self-control when he finally had sex with the Captain.

It was worrisome.

"Hey, what are you doing outside at this time?"

The Shifter stopped when one of the night patrol guards stalked out of the shadows, a blade aimed at him.

"Aren't you..." They squinted against the dark and eyed the Shifter as soon as he was close. "Eren Jaeger? What are you doing outside, and without Captain Levi?"

I don't have time to waste.

Without thinking, Eren met the man's eye and held it for a good minute. The guard lowered his arm before he froze. Eren walked around them and continued on his walk. He needed to get on a horse and leave the base, now. The Shifter ran into a few other night guards and just like before, he froze them in place, just as he rounded the stables. Inside, he saddled up a horse and galloped out of the scout's headquarters. Winter was beginning to kick in. The wind was more aggressive than it was the past few days, a strong gust of it blowing the hair out of his face. The air was brittle and chilly, but he couldn't feel it. A few leaves rustling in the trees lost their grip and blew in his line of sight, still, he was not fazed. Eren ignored the icy air biting into his skin, the cold whips along his cheeks and the howling woosh of the wind dancing through the rickety trees.

It took a while, but Eren eventually passed the dark windy woods with a single destination in mind.

-

Now...

Levi had been looking for Eren for the past two hours. He had checked the entire forest surrounding the base in case the Shifter was hiding, but he turned up empty-handed. Levi then decided to check the nearest town. It was unlikely for Eren to have gone far. The Shifter only had a half days head start on the raven, and Levi knew he could track someone down even with a full weeks head start. He was confident he could find Eren.

Once Levi arrived at the town, he pulled his horse to a stop and decided to tie it on a tree at the outskirts of it. He'd be able to attract less attention and find clues on foot. The town was one of the smallest, but defiantly crowded. Levi passed by loud open shopping stalls and children running around the walkway. A few almost bumped into him.

"Hey, watch-Oh! You're a scout! Can we see your gear, mister?"

Levi gently shrugged off the child clinging onto his cloak. "Sorry, kid, but I don't have time to chat."

A few more kids came up to him then, each taking hold of him. Levi bit back a growl of annoyance.

"Please, sir! Show us your gear!" The same child from before exclaimed.

"Yeah, I wanna see!"

"Are you sure he's a soldier? He looks pretty small." One whispered out. Levi felt his temper flaring up.

"Huh, you're right. Hey, sir? How old are you? Did you just enlist?" A girl with ginger hair tugged on his pants harshly, staring up at him with large blue eyes. Levi thinned his lips and shut his eyes.

"Yes," The raven decided through clenched teeth. "I just joined. Since I'm new, I have to finish my requested job without delay, or else I'll get into trouble."