Vista - Attack on Titan x Reader

CHAPTER FORTY TWO: Denial

I could see the titan forest up ahead, and my throat tightened. Forests held bad memories for me, and I could feel them scratching and clawing their way to the surface as I rode on. Boy's body moved fluidly with mine, as if we were the same being, and we sped up. Nicholas was following me as best he could, adamant about having my back, which I had no choice but to accept. It kind of felt alright, but I didn't have the wherewithal to get mad at him, even if I wanted to.

No, my anger was universal at this point.

Lurching back and forth on my horse's back wasn't doing my concussion any favours, and I wished that I had at least managed to take more than a single sip of water before we moved out. It had been around eight hours since Reiner and Bertholdt had disappeared with Eren and Ymir, and we could only hope that Hange's gut feeling had been right.

They need to be there...

"DID ANYBODY ELSE SEE THAT..?! A FLASH IN THE TREES!" I heard somebody call out, and that's when I noticed it. That was definitely similar to the light that surrounded Eren when he had transformed, no doubt about it. One of them was ready for us.

As expected, there were titans infesting the area, in all shapes and sizes. It was like a wave as they raced towards us from the treeline, chomping and flailing their arms about. Many of them seemed to be abnormals. It wasn't long before I could hear the death shrieks, but I couldn't focus on them. All of my attention; what little ability I had left to concentrate, was directed to the gaps in the trees.

"(Y/N), to your ri-" Nicholas didn't have  chance to complete his sentence as I launched myself towards the dumpy little titan, having to push myself a little more than usual to slice through its nape. "...N..nevermind...G..good job..!" As always, Boy was there to catch me when I swung back down, though landing upon his back made my brain crack in two. Hearing my faint whimper, the stallion slowed his pace, but I quickly rubbed the side of his neck.
"No...I'm okay, buddy..! H'yah!"

It never ceased to amaze me, just how fast Boy was. He was a little heavier set than the specially bred horses of the walls, but that's what made it all the more wondrous. Pair that with his unusual colouring and his intelligence, and there was no denying he was as good as they came. It was only further confirmed when he caught me after my second kill.

Come on, Boy..! Find Reiner..!

I made it to the trees before the others did, easily. Even Nicholas was a good sevem hundred metres behind. Whispering my praises to the flaxen-maned horse, I launched myself into the branches, swinging through in search of the man I needed to face. Even though I only had that one goal in mind, I couldn't help but come to a jerking halt when I spotted it.

Or, rather, her.

Ymir was hanging from a tree, in her gnarled titan form, but she was dreadfully focused. She was waiting for something, and it didn't sit well with me. That being the case, as frustrating as it was for me, I decided to stay put until some of the others caught up.

"A titan, here?!" When I heard that yell, I glanced over my shoulder, just in time to see Connie rush past me and come to a stop beside the titaness.
"Wait! It's Ymir! She's one of the ones they took, but she's in her titan form!" He explained loudly, turning to the creature. "Ymir, why are you by yourself?! Where's Eren?! What about Reiner and Bertholdt?!"

Ymir didn't even spare him a flicker of her beady little eyes. They were darting around, but barely skimming over each one of our faces. It wasn't right, and I could hear Armin mumbling about it somewhere close by.

It's Ymir...so if she's looking for somebody...then that could only mean...

"Thank goodness! You're safe!" It hit me when Krista swung onto the scene, but it was too late to do anything about it. With one jump, and the parting of hulking jaws, the petit blonde had disappeared, and Ymir was making a break for it. I started moving after her before anyone even really registered what was going on, knowing that if she had decided to snatch up Krista, then she'd be leading me straight towards the men themselves.