Shorter Than Me

16

Blood drips down Eren's hand from multiple bite marks. He has removed his maneuver gear and it sits on the ground a few yards away.

"You have to concentrate on what you want," Armin reminds him.

"I know! I'm trying!" Eren exclaims. He knows the expedition will be pointless if he can't shift into a titan. He bites his hand again, but all he receives is a mouthful of blood.

"What objective are you thinking of?" Hanji asks, hanging just above him.

He looks up at her. "Your research."

"Try thinking about how this research will help us learn even more about titans. Then we can eventually have the advantage and we can discover what's in your basement, and kill every titan in the world." She pauses. "Though I would like to keep some for pets."

"I'll try." Eren closes his eyes and tries to envision what Hanji just described.

Armin looks up to see the smoke signal. "Look!" He points.

Everyone looks up to see it.

A few seconds later, a loud sound can be heard. It sounds like many titans' footsteps. They come closer. Soon, they see the first one.

Mikasa flies over and slices its neck before it can even think to come closer.

Armin jumps to the ground and drops his maneuver gear.

"Armin, what are you doing?" Hanji shouts.

Armin starts running toward where the titans are coming. "Have Eren save me!" he shouts behind him. Fear holds him back, but he knows this will get Eren to shift his form. It has to. Otherwise, he'll die.

He stops when he sees another titan coming. It pauses in front of him and reaches down.

An explosion of steam a little too close for comfort explodes behind Armin and he falls forward as Eren's titan form rises up to kill the titan.

Hanji squeals in excitement and rushes to watch.

More titans come, but they all head for Eren. Mikasa kills some. Soon, ten titans are disintegrating on the ground and only two remain. They are each gnawing on one of Eren's arms. He swings one into a tree and it lies on the ground; still alive, but incapacitated for the time being.

The remaining one has immobilized Eren's other arm. Eren brings his fist around and sends the titan's head flying away into the trees. Hanji looks torn between going after it and staying with everyone. Apparently, the latter wins because she jumps to where Eren is standing.

Mikasa kills the titan on the ground. Eren glances around wildly until he sees Armin, now wearing his maneuver gear and hovering next to him.

"Eren!" Hanji shrieks. "That was amazing!"

He just blinks at her.

"Can you understand me?" she asks. He nods. "Wonderful! Can you go pick that tree up?" She points.

Sorry short chapter. And it was super awkward to write because you normally see 3rd POVs in past tense, which I started writing in, but I write best in 1st person, present tense so that's what the whole thing is in.

Anyway, did you like it? Am I better at writing in 1st person, 3rd person, neither, both, or is there not enough to tell? What do you think will happen next. What do you think should happen next?

Thanks for reading!

~Syre Fayne