Phases

Waning Gibbous

A/N: This isn't the most exciting chapter thus far, sorry about that. It is mostly dialogue and teasers for Kia's history. The story shall be picking up soon.

Wasu As, art by Obsidian Ghost via Wonder. (Picture literally shows nothing, but I'm censoring anyhoo)

"Erwin? You wanted to see me?"
He jumps. It's Kia's voice, and he can't help feeling uneasy. Seeing Kia's transformation unnerved him more than he cares to admit, and though she's never showed any marked aggression towards any of his soldiers he can't help but to wonder what other secrets she may be hiding. It's time to find out.

"Yes, Kia. Come in please."
He shuffles the papers he was currently working on off to the side, and then gauges her as she approaches. She honestly seems no different to him. Same hair, same eyes, same sedate demeanor. Despite the recent discovery regarding her nature, nothing. He thought he would see her differently because of this. He just sees Kia.

"Levi says he has experienced a connection to you from the moment you two had met. Why is that?"
"Erwin, I know no more than he does. I think I understand where your line of questioning is coming from though. He is human, you may rest easy on this."
"But you're not?"
"I am, but I am not."
"Are you like the titans? Are there others like you?"
The sudden fury in her gaze has him sitting back in his chair. Her eyes almost glow with rage, and he almost calls for the cadets posted outside the door. The look is gone an instant later, and she speaks with measured calm.

"I am nothing like those creatures. If anything, they fill me with a fury I barely understand. But we of the Ur-Kud are many and scattered now it seems." (Wolf people)
"Werewolf?" Erwin asks tentatively, unsure if he's going to experience another wave of fury. It doesn't sit well with him, this sudden instinct to tiptoe around her as if she was a fragile and deadly bomb. She merely chuckles sadly at his question before answering.
"Werewolves are cursed. This is a blessed gift."
He sighs. "What did you mean when you said that our enemies are already within the walls?"

"I know not. The information was inside me, I just brought it forth. I am confused by the line of questioning. Do you wish next to know if Levi walks me on a leash?"
He chuckles in spite of himself, shaking his head.
"There's so much I want to know, but.... wait. Does he?" He chuckles again at her playful grin. "If you're confused by the line of questioning, try being inside my brain at the moment. This is a lot to take in."
Her gaze changes in that moment, going back to the introspective look she wore when dealing with the wallist.

"There are dark caverns within your mind. Places Hanji and Levi have not seen. Your motivations.... intentions...."
This statement has him sitting back with unease. He has not told them everything regarding his desire to explore outside the walls, to see a certain basement.
She has reverted to the same old Kia now, the sweet but fiery girl he has come to adore as if she was one of his own scouts. Levi's mate....
That is so hard to wrap his head around.
"Tell me more about your village, and you."

He can almost see it in his own mind. He can even smell the earthy aromas of the forest. Under that bush to the right is a rabbit, frozen in fear. A twig snaps and the bush shakes violently for a moment before the rabbit bursts from the undergrowth. It shrieks briefly before its neck snaps; and it hangs limply from a male wolves' jaws. He can taste the metallic elixir of blood upon his tongue. The sensation...

"Such is the way of the wolf, Erwin.", Kia is saying and his attention snaps back to her. "I could hunt before I could speak. I know not of family other than the Ur-Kud and the tree-village. When they brought me, I was so scared. I often wondered why there were no young children like myself. The village was inhabited by the elderly. They picked me up and swaddled me in warm blankets. Once I was fed, the village elder came to see me. She was more ancient than anyone I had met yet. She had kindly eyes..." She trails off sadly, and the two sit in silence for a moment before she continues. "She called me Baba-Nanna. (Ancestor of the Moon) and then formerly named me Kia Ma'Nanna."

"And the pack?", Erwin prompts.

"I saw them every so often. Never all together. When the titans came, the elder ordered me away to your walls. I took Zini and I rode, only looking back once. I saw my beloved brother trailing behind. The titans had no interest in me. I wanted to die with my people. Ahu, Zini, and fate would not allow it, it seems."

"How did your village survive for so many years without any titan activity whatsoever?"

Kia continues to speak...
........
He's in the remnants of a village. Most of the buildings are set in the trees, which is smart but a few are scattered throughout the forest floor. A smithy, which tells him there's possibility for mining nearby, and what looks like storage as well. Both have been demolished, most likely by titans.
He catches a glimpse of movement to his right, and it's gone before he can register. Following the rustling of leaves he comes across a small boy, black-haired and golden eyed. The child smiles at him, and turns back to the forest.
"Wait!"
The child continues to run, laughing gaily at the chase.
"Wasu! Wasu As!"
He's gone, lost in the trees and Levi wakes with a gasp.
'Is he still out there?' Levi wonders, getting up from his desk. He needs to speak to Erwin. They have to get to this village. If his dream is correct, there's a shapeshifting child alone in the forest. And what about Brother Wolf? His instincts tell him that he's not entirely wolf either. 

Kia's family.

His family.