Chagara - Chaos in the Darkness (Levi x OC Fanfic / AttackOnTitan)

14. Old Times - "Didn't you find any worms?"

Keith Shadis leaned against the tree trunk. The midday sun burned mercilessly down on the soldiers on the training ground. The commander shook his head. "Where is your team spirit?", he thought. Sure, he couldn't blame all the mistakes on the members of the Scout Regiment. But if they didn't even learn and live teamwork during their training, their chances of survival outside the walls were zero. On top of that, it seemed that no one wanted to join the Scout Regiment. They all dreamt of a safe life in the Military Police Regiment. But only the ten best per training year were allowed to join this unit. This pushed the ambition of the individual recruits and caused less cooperation.

"Why didn't you ask for help?", he heard one of the instructors ask. A young lad of perhaps 14 stood before him, pressing a piece of cloth against his bleeding hand. Commander Shadis just shook his head again. He had been at the training camp for a day. He wanted to get to know the new generation and recruit promising talents for his unit - a seemingly impossible undertaking, as he had to realise. The place was teeming with lone wolves who would do anything to be allowed to join the Military Police Regiment. The consolation was the Garrison Regiment. And the Scout Regiment? With the increasing expeditions, it was considered as certain death.

"I don't need any help," the young lad replied arrogantly.

"How did this happen?", the instructor named Lukas wanted to know. Shadis had known Lukas for a long time. The once black-haired man had come back to the training camp as an instructor after five years with the Garrison Regiment. "If you change the training, maybe you can change our future," he had babbled to Shadis one evening after several beers. It was a nice thought - in Shadis opinion. Only if the hearts of the youth did not burn for change and improvement of their situation, they would all continue to stand still and continue to wait trapped behind the walls for their deaths.

"When I was about to kill the titan. He suddenly moved, I had to dodge and fell into the bushes," the boy explained annoyed, pulling the corners of his mouth down. He had noticed that the sleeve of his uniform shirt was by now soaked with his blood.

"Boy, if you'd seen a Titan, you'd have shit your pants in fear. You lost to wooden constructs," Shadis thought angrily.

"Go to the infirmary," Lukas replied, looking after the boy before adding a check mark to another name on his list.

Of the arrivals, 29 had been injured. 27 injuries could definitely have been avoided if everyone hadn't rushed off alone. Shadis could only shake his head.

"Strange," Lukas muttered, rubbing his beard, which also had grey hairs. Was the reason for this the life behind the walls? The selfish young people he was trying to train? Or simply because of his age? But was 29 already an age for grey hair?

"What?", asked Shadis with disinterest. Should he leave already? There was no one here interested in the Scout Regiment, nor did Shadis have any interest in any of these arrogant brats.

"There are still four missing," he received in reply.

"So?," asked Shadis. The 1st year trainees had been on an exercise since yesterday. They were supposed to cope alone in the forest for 24 hours. However, the first results and reports showed that the trainees had taken "managing alone" very literally again. The instructors, who observed the young people in secret and sometimes lured them into traps or attacked them, had not been enthusiastic themselves.

"Well, they're just the four that might be of interest to you, Shadis. Anyway, two of them are definitely on fire for the Scout Regiment."

Shadis listened attentively.

"And actually, they're always among the first."

Shadis stepped slowly out of the shadow of the tree and looked into the forest. "Shall I go and look after them?," he offered.