The Little Red Hooded Hunter

Epilogue

"Ready, pup?"

"Levi, I'm not a dog!" Eren retorted. The hunter was no longer wary of his wolf form and had added 'pup' or 'puppy' to his repertoire of names to address Eren by. He was well-aware that Levi had no ill-intentions with the name-calling, they were partners and slept together, but there were things Levi did which still frustrated him. Being called a domesticated four-legged mammal that couldn't hunt for itself was an insult to his pride. Wolves were wild animals, apex predators.

"Fine. Stop dawdling and let's go, brat."

"When will you stop calling me that, Levi?" Eren pouted at the younger hunter. It amused him (and irritated Levi) to no end when the thirty-three, now thirty-four, year old hunter was treated as a child. His lover tended to behave like a fully grown adult, when he was in fact, still a child in comparison to the number of years a shifter lived. "You're the kid here."

"When you stop acting like one." The former hunter rolled his eyes. He still wasn't sure whether he would continue hunting upon returning to the city. It was a lucrative job, but a dangerous one. Levi certainly trusted Eren's combat abilities – the shifter was much better than almost everyone he had met – having a partner out in the field was a risky consideration.

"But I'm older than you."

"So? You still act as though you're fifteen." Levi shot the shifter a speaking glance.

They had spent the last few months getting to know one another. It was a period for Levi to grow used to shifter traditions, and most importantly Eren's wolf, and for Eren to learn about the customs outside of the outside world. The brunet was still a few seasons shy of the half a century rule for exploring the outside world, but the elders reasoned it would be okay with Levi by his side.

Adjusting to life with the shifters had taken time. Despite Eren's assurances, many were wary of him, concerned Levi was only there to ferret out their secrets and eradicate them. Part of that was due to him besting their best fighter in the ring, and while many respected and applauded his skill, it only made some distrustful. His life as a hunter certainly did not help soothe any fears; if anything, they were the cause of the many suspicious glances he received. Those judgmental gazes gradually softened over months as he assisted with patrolling, hunting, and eliminating any threats that came close to discovering their whereabouts. Now, he was considered the expert on humans and hunters, often asked to share his knowledge and expertise with modern weaponry, ways to treat bullet and other similar injuries, and life in the city.

As much enjoyable as it was in the woods with his enthusiastic, frisky, and sometimes childish lover, the hunter missed the amenities and conveniences of city life. It was so much easier boiling water on the stove or having sheets instead of pelts for bedding. Levi had been gone for slightly over a year, but he had no doubt his house would still be there. All his neighbors knew what he did for a living and it wouldn't have been the only time he had left for a long time. His home would need some intense cleaning before being livable, but Levi could live with that.

"So? You act as if you're fifty!" His lover huffed. "You'd be excited if it was your first time leaving the forest!" After weeks of planning, they were finally planning on leaving Shiganshina. The plan was to head towards Trost and return to Levi's home first. The rest of the journey would depend on Eren's reaction to life among humans and how fast he could grow accustomed to it.

One of the brunet's demands was to go see the ocean. Levi had never been that far east or seen the sunset over the water. It wasn't because he hadn't been in the area, but simply due to a lack of interest. The main road from Trost to the seaside city, Maria, was well maintained and kept safe by the Military Police, meaning that most hunting jobs were west of his home city. It was a fairly easy one to two months of travel on horseback to reach Maria though. The trip would probably take a season to complete depending on how fast they traveled. But first he needed to see how the brat would react to a small village, let alone city, before heading all the way to Maria.

Levi wasn't particularly concerned about money for travelling. He had saved a tidy fortune from all his high-risk hunting jobs. Traveling across the lands would be pleasant in comparison. And if need be, he could always go hunting with Eren. The shifter had proven to be a highly skilled tracker, and his combat skills weren't too shabby either.

"Tch, c'mon let's go." Levi slung the travel bag over his shoulders, ready to leave. For someone as impatient to venture outside as Eren had been, the brat was taking his shitty time.

Walking on foot until they reached the nearest decently-sized village would take a week. Levi hoped they had horses, since it would take forever to walk back to the city. They could always stop closer to the woods, but the people were suspicious enough already, that emerging from the woods would only arouse suspicion and raise questions better left unanswered.

Lately, the hunter had been contemplating what Eren's reaction to the hustle and bustle of city life would be. There were many more sights and sounds to experience, which could be overwhelming. Levi doubted Eren would shy away from the experience – the shifter was too stubborn to back down – but there was no telling what he would do once displaced from his natural environment. He had grown up in the environment, but Eren had not. Not only were customs and traditions different, but there was the whole economy of buying and selling goods and services that didn't exist with the shifters. He had explained it to Eren, but the notion had confused the brunet to no end. Thankfully, they had time to get Eren used to the market and other things before arriving in the city.

But that wasn't the only problem. According to the elders, shifting was an innate ability and one that could only be suppressed for so long. It was in their blood, or more precisely Eren's, to change forms, and having to refrain from doing that for weeks on end would be taxing on the brunet. In the forest, Eren could shift and explore the wilderness as a wolf, but wolves would be hunted in the city. The brunet might be able to pass as a large hunting dog, but Levi didn't want to assume that would be the case.

Hell, he wasn't sure how his return would be taken either. While Nile Dok and his cronies were taken care of – Levi and some of the shifters had lured them out and eliminated the threat soon after he arrived – he was uncertain of his welcome after being gone for so long. Showing up with Eren, even if they wouldn't know the brunet was a shifter, would only rouse suspicion and raise questions. No one knew of his half-shifter heritage and Levi planned to keep it that way. Those who weren't envious were leery of his skills. And if they knew of his identity of being half-shifter, being ostracized would be the last of his concerns. Hell, they'd probably want to hunt him down themselves.

"Wait!" Eren yelled out.

"What is it now?" He scowled. The goodbyes were already said and they had already spent the entire night yesterday commemorating their departure. The shifters had held a large feast, filled with roasted boar, dancing, and music. While festivities like that weren't uncommon amongst humans, it was more primitive and less restrained.

"It's just that I won't be back for a long time, so I really want to remember this place before I leave." Eren surveyed the premises. It wasn't much. A few trinkets, a bed, and a few pieces of furniture decorated his home. Even though most of his days were spent outside, it was still home for him. And there was no telling how long it would be until he returned.

As sad as it was to bid goodbye to his home, he was excited at the prospect of venturing into the unknown and seeing the world outside. Eren couldn't wait. Levi had promised him that they would be going to the ocean, and the thought of seeing an expanse of endless water was inconceivable to him. And with the dark-haired hunter by his side, he really wasn't worried about getting lost or any of the other horror stories horse-faced Jean had tried to scare him with.

"Okay, I'm ready."

"'bout time."

Reigning in his urge to stick his tongue out at the hunter, Eren took one last backwards glance before stepping outside. It was a new day, and he couldn't be more excited for what was to come.

And so the two of them went on their merry travels happily ever after.