Born on the Wrong Side (Attack On Titan AU)

Chapter One: The Beast in the Forest

Sunlight began to slowly illuminate the large and virginal clearing, yet to be found by mankind. Redish peonies and hollyhocks covered in morning dew were beginning to blossom near the many bushes and trees. A few of the flowers were scattered by the clear lake that showed all that inhabited it. Many animals were allured by the lake but most did not stay, simply because they were spooked by the creature who lived in the clearing.

Along with the sounds of birds chirping was the faint sound of what seemed to be snoring. The snores stirred as more and more sunlight shone through the vines and branches, warming the skin of the monstrous being. Large eyelids slowly lifted, allowing huge emerald eyes to greet the world around them. With a long yawn, the being began to stretch his humongous limbs before slowly crawling out of his hiding place beneath a sideways tree with many vines hanging from the top, creating a sort of large curtain effect.

He finally stood to his full height of 50 feet, scaring the few animals that were visiting the clearing. The being let a low rumble, indicating his disappointment. The creature loved animals and enjoyed watching them, from a distance, of course. He had to be very stealthy and quiet since most things seemed to fear him. He lived a very boring and lonely existence, but he always tried to make the best of it.

He decided to make his way to the lake, peering down to stare at his reflection. Brown, shoulder length hair was thrown every which way and was overall messy. A large hand attempted to massage the brown tangles down but they seemed to stick up no matter what. Steam escaped his exposed teeth as he sighed in frustration. After bending down, the creature stuck his hands into the lake, unintentionally warming the usually cool water. After cupping it, he poured the water over his head. He repeated this action until his hair was completely soaked. He gave a mumble of approval as his hair was no longer sticking up anymore since it was weighed down by the water.

He once again stood to his full height and began to make his daily walk around the forest. Every day, he looked for something interesting, whether that be a cool looking rock or an item left behind by the tiny beings that sometimes visited the forest. He made it a goal to bring at least one suvenior back to his home before the sun sets. His favorite things to find were always the strange items the little people left behind. These small creatures fascinate him in every way possible. He has no idea where they come from, or what they are really, but they are his favorite animals as of yet. They looked similar to him, a few differences of course (mainly the height), he felt connected to them none the less.

He'd sometimes catch these creatures hunting in his forest. Of course, he'd never bother them, only watching from a distance. He enjoyed listening to them communicate with each other, even though he couldn't understand. The best thing was when they would catch a deer. They would always smile and their voices would sound cheery. The creature always had to stop himself from letting out an enthusiastic howl. Even though he was happy for them, he knew that his loud sounds would surely scare them off.

The being took a sharp left at a rather large tree. He usually always went right, but he felt especially adventurous on this particular day. He wanted to discover something new. Besides, he had already been wandering around for hours with nothing to entertain him in sight. This was a sure sign that it was time for him to find a new path to walk on.

His steps slowed after he spotted an opening in the trees. Is this a new clearing? He took another large but quiet step forward when a crack of thunder invaded his ears. Uh-oh. Rain. Perhaps it was time for him to turn back. With a dejected grumble, he began walking away when another loud noise startled him. This shrill sound was not as loud as the thunder but captured his attention none the less. It was coming from the opening in the trees.

He approached it, hoping to find the source of this seemingly familiar noise. He stopped when he realized that there were no longer trees past this opening. instead, there was only grass and maybe a few bushes. If he squinted, he could spot a few constructions in the distance. Has he reached the end of the forest?

The noise filled the air again but was cut off by a voice. "Shut up, bitch! Stop screaming or I'm going to cut out your fucking tongue!"

The creature's eyes quickly found the sources. A group of the tiny beings were making their way past the forest. He almost let out an excited squeal but instead quickly hid behind one of the trees. His excitement began to fade when he spotted these strange circumstances. This was the largest group he has ever seen. There were three males and five females. The number did not bother him, but rather the way they were treating the females is what made the creature uncomfortable. The five females were all connected by a rope which was tied around their wrists. They also all had cloths wrapped around their mouths, not allowing them to communicate properly. Also, all of the females had dark bruises and cut littering their bodies while the males seemed fine.

A rather tall male held onto the rope, occasionally tugging on it, causing the females to trip slightly and yelp out in pain. The giant's chest tightened as anger overcame his senses. This couldn't be normal. He has never witnessed the tiny beings treat each other in such a manner. Something wrong must be happening.

Even though he was incredibly angry and confused, he kept his distance. He wanted to wait and see what happened. A few trickles of rain began to fall from the sky, causing the tallest of the men to curse.

"Damnit. It's about to storm." The giant could not understand what the creature said, but he assumed he was frustrated.

"How about we hide out in the woods for a bit, boss. Y'know, till the rain passes." This man seemed to younger than the rest of the males but was on their side none the less.

"We need to get these whores to Wall Rose as soon as possible. We don't have time for a little rest." The tall man spat at the younger one.

While this little query was going on, the giant's eyes glanced at the back of the line of women. He noticed the last female was really struggling out of her restraints. In fact, the ropes around her wrists seemed to be rather loose. After an especially hard tug, the rope around her wrists busted, and she quickly began to run away from the men. The giant almost let out a whistle as some sort of cheer for the female.

"Oh shit. GO GET HER YOU ASSHOLES!" The tallest man suddenly yelled, prompting both of the younger men to give chase to the woman. The other women watched in horror as the female was quickly caught. The giant was disappointed the female didn't get very far but was shocked at what ensued after one of the men tackled her. He felt disgusted as the man leaned over the woman and began to punch her repeatedly in the face. The second man began to shout and kick her in the stomach.

The sharp scent of blood filled the giant's nostrils, signaling that he could not allow this abuse to go on any further. A low growl escaped him, a puff of steam threading through his teeth. Before the men even looked back to see what had made such a terrifying sound, the giant stepped out from behind the tree.

"Holy fuck! How is there a Titan?!" The tallest man yelled. The giant carefully stepped over the bound females and quickly snatched the man kicking the woman on the ground. Bringing him to his eyes to get a closer look at the monster, the giant grunted a bit in surprise. The man lay motionless in his fist, his upper body hanged awkwardly out of his hand, eyes wide open in fear. It would appear the giant accidentally broke the man's back.

The women screamed in horror and the men began to make a run for it. The giant did nothing but stare at the dead person that resided in his grip. A strange feeling washed over him. He hadn't meant to kill the man. He simply wanted to give him a warning. He placed the tiny creature down. The murder was justified he supposed, but it still made him feel a tang of guilt pull in his chest.

He turned his attention back to the women. The woman that was being beaten was now hastily trying to untie the others. He could hear her panicked breathes as he stared down at her.

"Oh my god, HURRY!" One of the females cried.

It must've been hard to see in the rain. Not wanting to attempt to grab the women in order to get the ropes off, he simply placed his large hand above them, shielding them from the storm. It was the least he could do to help. He had already killed one of their kind. He didn't want to hurt them anymore.

The women all looked incredibly surprised and after the last one was untied. They all booked it into the field, probably running to where they originally came from.