ᵗᵃᵏᵉ ᵐʸ ʰᵃⁿᵈ AOT

ᴄʜ. ᴛʜʀᴇᴇ

"Why didn't it eat us?" Armin finally asked, Xena calling for her horse, which thankfully didn't run off too far. "I'm not sure.."

"Something's bothering you..isn't it?" Armin asked shakily, Xena turning to him with a concerned look. "I heard the Female Titan talk, Armin..I thought that only happened with Eren.."

"Wait, talk?"

"Yes..she was telling me to back off or else." Xena replied while gaining ahold of her horses reins. "Something else is bothering me, too.."

"What is it?"

"That Titan..she came from the North. We didn't spot any Titans on our way here." Xena explained, her eyes staying planted to the ground. "You're..you're not saying-"

"Armin, think about it! She knew that the Scout would go for the nape, and she protected it. She also fought back with reflexes..that I-I've never seen a Titan do before." Xena exclaimed, Armin shaking his head in disbelief. "So there's another person that can turn into a Titan like Eren.."

"And whoever it is..they're most likely looking for him..did you see the way she was looking at us?"

"Right..the Titan was observing our faces. Problem is, what will happen when she finds him?" Armin asked while both of them climbed onto their horses and took off immediately in the direction the Titan ran off to. It was a good question. The Titan would have just killed them off, even if Eren was with them. But she checked their faces, which meant the Titan isn't intentionally trying to kill Eren. But what was her goal? Kidnap Eren, possibly. But then what?

Xena didn't have the answers at the moment. But something was definitely up. This all seemed premeditated, planned. This couldn't have just been one person that planned this. Who else could have been involved?

"Armin, did that Titan seem familiar to you?" Xena asked out of the blue, Armin looking her way with furrowed eyebrows. "No..why?"

"She just..seems familiar, that's all."

She had someone in mind. But she didn't want to believe it. They were friends, though it was unexpected for them to be friends with Xena, somehow they were. They've saved each other more times in the past three years than they could count. They won't hurt her. They wouldn't.

If they did, then why go through all the trouble? Why save her just to hurt her?

There was more to this than what it seemed. And Xena had to figure what as soon as possible.
---

"CAPTAIN LEVI!"

The call rang out in a panicked scream and it captured everyone's attention almost immediately after. It was Xena, covered from her head down her face in her own blood, her knuckles white from the death grip on her horse's reins and her cloak stained in Titan blood. She came to an abrupt stop as soon as she got close to the Levi Squad.

"Captain! We have to go! There's an intelligent Female Titan on it's way and she's after Eren!" Xena exclaimed, breathing shakily. "So..Erwin was right.."

"W-What?!"

"Xena, you'll be joining me. You'll be protecting Eren with my squad until we handle this Titan. Understood?" Levi ordered. Though Xena wished to refuse, shout to him that they won't make it, she couldn't. Eren was the priority right now, everything else will come later. "...Yes, sir."

"Good. Let's move and get a headstart before this filthy Titan shows up." Levi called out, taking off down the road with Eren and Xena right at his heel. "Z! W-What's happening?!"

"No time to explain, Eren! We just need to get you someplace safe!" Xena shouted back. That Titan..no one could have predicted her to be so evasive. She nearly killed Xena, Reiner, and Armin. Xena and Armin both met up with Jean and Reiner not long after they ran into the Female Titan and the four chased after her.

It was a bad mistake. Armin suffered a head injury and Reiner dislocated his arm after he got free from the Female Titan. Xena had to leave them to get the message to Captain Levi about the Titan, but luckily, she had extra flares. With that, she took off to find the Levi Squad.

Now, here she was, protecting Eren and looking out for the Female Titan. Where she was, she was close. Xena found the Levi Squad about 10 or so miles from where they were attacked. Meaning the Female Titan would show up sooner than later.

"Captain! It's here!" Xena heard, looking back to see the Titan now running towards them in the distance. "Captain, what are your orders?!"

"Just keep moving forward. Stay focused on the road." Xena heard Levi state, her eyes trained back on the road. She couldn't get distracted, she couldn't let her fear or her anxiety overcome her. Especially now. Not with Eren's life on the line. The squad continued moving, straight towards the Forest of Giant Trees, huge trees about as tall, if not, a bit shorter than the Colossal Titan.

But they were huge.

Xena looked back, the Female Titan once again having that death glare in her eyes and she was staring directly at her and Eren.

"Xena! You have to look forward! You can't get distracted!" Petra screamed to Xena, her hazel eyes trailing downward to Petra and back up to the Titan. "But, Petra-"

"Just do it! We're going to make it! Do you hear me?!"

"Listen to her, kid! Focus and we'll make it in one piece!" Gunther joined in. How can they be so confident about this? How can they believe they could make it out of this alive? Xena barely escaped for her life. And she's a cadet..

"But we have to fight! That thing will catch up to us and then what?!"

"Eren, don't! You're our only chance of winning this war and we can't lose you! You have to trust us!" Petra shouted back. It wasn't that Xena or Eren didn't trust them, it was the result of it. They weren't sure whether or not they would survive. All odds are in their favor.

"Eren, Xena," Levi began, Xena noticing the tone in his voice. He was feeling the same way. He knew it was a small chance that they would make it out alive. "We're not here to stop you from making whatever decision you two want. You want to fight, go ahead. My advice, make it count."

It was small advice, but it had a big impact on them. Xena had to choose; should she stay and fight or protect Eren? Xena hated being stuck in the middle, knowing she had to make a choice. And fast.

"IT'S GAINING SPEED!" Xena heard, jerking her head back to see that the Titan was once again at the back of their horses, running at max speed towards them. "CAPTAIN, WHAT DO WE DO?!"

"XENA, EREN, MAKE A DECISION NOW!" Levi shouted to both of the cadets. Eren looked to Xena, both of them silent. Though their eyes shined with a will to fight, they both knew they had to trust that the Scouts got this. And if they didn't, then they would fight.

For now..

"WE'LL KEEP GOING!"