Natural Strength || Levi Ackerman x Reader

Chapter 16: Bloody Massacre

Your heart skips a beat as the howling seizes and the pounding of possibly hundreds of feet replaces it.

"I think that female titan called the other ones to help her or something," Eren utters.

"What do we do?" Gunther questions.

"Nothing, yet. We wait for a signal or any sign of imminent danger to Eren's life," you answer sternly.

You didn't think too much on it at the time, but when Levi diverged from the path, you felt something unexplainable like, perhaps, a sinking in your stomach. It was a spur moment of dread, and now that something has clearly gone wrong, you're wondering if it's because your instincts were telling you that it was the last time you would see Levi.

You don't have time to organize the amalgamation of thoughts as you spot the blue smoke ascending in the air.

Withdrawal?

You clear your throat before speaking. "Let's saddle up, everyone."

You and Gunther take the lead and fly from the trees on your way back to the location where the horses are stashed. The others follow closely behind and of course are more at ease from the pressure of constantly surviving.

"Oluo, Petra!" Eld calls. "I got to hand it to you both. For people who wet themselves first time out, you've come a long way!"

Petra lets out a horrified shriek. "I thought we agreed to never speak of it again!"

You permit yourself to laugh at the glimpse of that very, very memorable expedition.

"Relax. I've never incidentally once pissed myself-"

"How dare you!" Oluo exclaims. "I have the third highest kill count out of anyone in the damn squad! Imbecile!"

"If you got to hide that steam behind those kill counts, be my guest!" Eld retorts with a snicker.

"Shut the hell up!" Oluo demands.

"So, did it, like, rain down on everyone mid-air or what?" Eren inquires.

"Enough! No one cares who pissed whose pants! Focus on the job at hand," Gunther commands.

You get back to your serious demeanor as his words are extremely true. You always thought Gunther would make a great leader.

"Green flare!" Petra points out.

"Must be a signal from the commander himself," Gunther guesses.

"Continue to take this seriously, everyone. We'll rendezvous with Captain Levi shortly," you state.

Gunther swings on a tree branch and quickly sends up a green flare in response to Erwin's. The squad continues swinging through the forest at a rapid speed, and that's when it happens.

"Captain Levi?" Gunther mutters.

You raise a brow as he seems to be looking right past you and you turn your head in that direction to see someone flying through the trees only fifteen feet away. It barely takes a second to know there's no way in hell that's the captain.

"Shit! Get down!" you scream as the figure darts straight at you and Gunther.

You whirl around just in time for their blades to slice over your head, but they manage to penetrate Gunther.

"Gunther!" Eren cries, rushing over to Gunther's body hanging from a tree.

You know there's no way for him to have survived such a blow and you train your eyes on the culprit instead. You cannot allow yourself to let the emotions of losing a close comrade effect you now.