The beginning

Chapter 3

(Pov swap)

As Rouge was laying there, peacefully with his little ones, he suddenly got hit with a strong wave of fear that made him wake up immediately, all the tiredness leaving his body as he became fully alert. ' Where did this overwhelming fear come from? Is there something wrong with me? Is there something wrong with the pup/pups' As if the pup/pups could understand what he was thinking, Rouge felt a kick in his stomach and calmed down, but only slightly, still overwhelmed with this random burst of fear that was so much, it left him trembling.

'What if something happened to Ansgar when he went out to hunt?' Rouge fretted over, thinking that if something did happen to Ansgar when he was on his hunt, it was Rouge's fault. He continued to stare at the barn door, waiting to see if Ansgar would return safely.

After Rouge had shot up, Mikasa and Armin did too, after being moved when Rouge sat up. Having looked up at the titan in question, they realized that Rouge was trembling with fear, teeth clenched and his eyes staring straight forward toward the barn door. "What's wrong Rouge," Mikasa asked, her voice heavily laced with concern. She was beyond worried. She had never seen him this petrified ever since he watched the yeagers get eaten and she was worried. And so was Armin. Armin was looking Rouge over to see if there was anything wrong but he couldn't see anything physically wrong with Rouge. At first, he was worried it was something with the pup/pups but after feeling them move around and Rouge not even flinching from it, he knew something else was going on. Just as Armin was about to get up to get Hange, they heard loud, heavy footsteps coming their way. For a second they were worried, thinking that it was like the first time the wall got kicked in, seeing as Rouge was terrified. With that thought in their minds, they began to think that it was a mindless titan that had gotten in and was heading for them and the scouts. But after seeing that Rouge had calmed a bit they knew that there was only one person - or rather titan - that could have Rouge calm down so fast. Just as they finished that thought, Ansgar bursted into the barn, startling not only Mikasa and Armin but also Rouge, who wondered why Ansgar was in such a rush. 'Maybe Ansgar experienced the same fear as he did and was worried so he came back,' Rouge wondered. Deciding that Ansgar probably felt the same fear he did, Rouge chirped, sending the message of 'I'm okay and happy to see you.' After Rouge's chirp, Ansgar visibly relaxed, letting out a jet of steam in relief. He then began making his way over to Rouge, before crouching down and sitting next to Rouge, letting out another jet of steam, but with Mikasa's keen eyes, she could tell that, while all of Rouge's fear was gone, Ansgar was still filled with fear, just he was hiding it for Rouge's sake. Rouge relaxed against Ansgar, leaning his head on his shoulder. Just as everything started to calm down, they heard a squeal, much like a pig, that spooked them and ruined the moment. Apparently, Hange had snuck in and could and couldn't contain her excitement because 'Rouge and Ansgar looked so cute together' Mikasa and Armin laughed while Ansgar and Rouge had red cheeks, embarrassed and hangle just smiled. "Anyways Hange, why are you here, shouldn't you be with the others and Levi, training?" Mikasa questioned.

"Oh right well, I came here to check on our sweet mama Rouge and how his pup or pups were doing," Hange declared, smiling wide. Rouge blushed again, a hand cradling his stomach with Ansgar placing a hand on his. Hange squealed again before grabbing all the stuff she would need for her check-up before she started. Ansgar decided that, as of right now, Luana, Goliath, Mehr would not attack. Instead, they would probably leave the island or take a while to think of another plan. With that thought, Ansgar finally let himself fully relax.

(Pov swap)

After spending a lot of time thinking, Luana spoke up, "Ok, I've got a plan," startled, Goliath and Mehr instantly looked up at her, waiting for her to speak.

"We must assume that Ansgar has betrayed us and is now on the coordinates side. For the most part, the plan will stay the same, but instead, we also have to deal with capturing and maybe fighting Angar too" Luana spoke as the other two nodded, absorbing the information.