Within the Wall || An Attack on Titan OC Fan-Fiction

Chapter Three

     I tighten my lips, crossing my arms and standing up straight. "You are not coming with me!" I say, quiet but adamant.

     "But Willow, the promise!" Arnica pleads, sticking her lip out. "You said you wouldn't go outside without a buddy! Can't it wait until they're back? Then you can ask Marie to go with you!"

     I shake my head. "No, because then Valerian will see me bring them back! I have to go while they're at the village, and you're not coming with me! I want to keep them a secret, because you'll just go and eat them whenever you want!"

     "I won't! Willow! I know you don't trust me around strawberries, but I wanna come!"

     "Nope! I'll only be a moment. Then we'll have strawberries for Valerian's birthday dessert. You can have as many as you want then, but I'm not showing you my patch!"

     She pouts, pulling her hat down to cover her eyes. I flick her nose gently, watching as she fails to suppress her giggles. "Hmm, fine! But you better bring back a lot."

    "Of course I will! A whole bag full," I say, patting a leather sack we use for gathering things. "See you in a few minutes, okay? Don't mess up my sewing!" Squeezing myself through the thin crack of an entrance, I quickly bound up the trail to the plateau above our little cave. Tall grass covers every inch of the soft, undulating sea that's only interrupted by a few scraggly trees. Full, fluffy clouds drift lazily far over my head.

     The cool breeze whips my loose, red hair and ruffles my pale blue skirt as I walk quickly over the other side of the meadow and follow a small game trail to a sizable ridge covered in wild strawberries. The light and fruity smell graces the air, making me want to stuff them all in my face right now.

     "Gotta restrain myself!" I chatter happily, choosing only the biggest and most perfect strawberries to go into my pouch. "Don't want there to be nothing left for the animals, do I? Nope!"

    I hum a soft tune that echoes pleasantly through the valley, then start adding nonsense lyrics to it. It eventually turns into a funny little story about a rabbit that got too close to a wolf, but instead of fighting, they become friends and eat strawberries together. 

     The sweet juice dribbles down my chin and I quickly wipe it off with my wrist. "Mmm, I love these things." My hand gently pats my bag, which by now bulges with strawberries.

     I whip my head around suddenly after hearing a strange rustling in the trees. It's been a week since I last saw a Titan, and a week and a half since Valerian showed us that Titan stuck in the pit. Encounters have been rare, but that doesn't make them any less dangerous.  All I can see is the wind rustling through the pines hundreds of feet below the treacherous little ridge and the rushing river that cuts through the valley on the other side of the mountain we live on.

     A long moment of searching eases my nerves, so I continue with my picking and try to stuff a few last berries into the pack.

     There's another sound, but this time it's more of a thump. I don't like this. I quickly finish up and start ascending the trail as fast as I can while still being careful. The wind picks up, making it difficult to walk without risking losing my balance, so I'm forced to slow down against my will.

     A deafening, inhuman shriek pierces the valley, causing my heart to jump with fear. From the depths of the forest, a huge form emerges. Its animalistic focus is set on one thing: me. The emotionless eyes are pinned on on its target, and nothing can change that save a miracle.

     I try to keep my cool, pressing my back to the stone wall and inching across the trail with my wary gaze keeping an eye on the Titan. It's not the one from the pit, but instead a smaller four-meter. Its rotund belly grinds against the cliff as it collides and starts attempting to climb by grabbing at anything within its reach.

     Rocks fall into its face, but still it keeps on after me. Thankfully, it makes no progress as I inch along the trail, but that doesn't settle the heartbeats ringing in my ear. I swallow both fear and tears, clinging to the trail with all I have. You're halfway there, Willow. Keep going, and you'll make it fine. You're going to be fine.

     There's another rustling, and my heart drops a mile to my stomach as another darkened shape crawls out of the treeline, its stature dwarfing the other even though it's crawling on all four limbs .

     "Why?" I whisper, tears welling up in my eyes as the wind bites at my face. "Why now? Why ever? Just go away."

     Sweet Pea, having seemingly recovered from his injuries and gotten out of the pit, stalks quickly out of the forest and onto the grass near the cliff side. His eyes focus not on me directly, but rather glancing between me and the other Titan.

    Even with this terrible situation, I can't help but notice the stark difference between the two. More human-like than the other, Sweet Pea has defined muscles and more proportional features. The other Titan has an abnormally small head, a long torso with a keg belly, and short, stocky legs that barely keep it upright.

    Both are terrifying and both are hunting me down, so I guess it doesn't make a difference what they look like.

     As I continue shuffling across the ridge, something abnormal starts to take place. I wipe the blinding tears from my eyes and cautiously pose myself to make a break for the last stretch and up to the meadow.

     Sweet Pea crouches down, positioning his legs for a leap. Nope, nope. This can't be good. I tense my muscles, giving it everything I have to run for the cave before this Titan gets the chance to start scaling the cliff.

     There's another deafening scream, which catches my attention as I whip my head around. I stop cold, my mouth opening wide as I witness Sweet Pea clawing at the other Titan's head, ripping it clean off and sinking his teeth into its neck. The body hangs limp, and the chunk of nape falls from his mouth to the ground, where he promptly starts pounding it with his fists.

     "NOPE!" I shout, unable to contain my shock. "NO CANNIBAL TITANS TODAY, THANK YOU VERY MUCH!" I claw quickly to the entrance of the meadow, hoisting myself up the last stretch instead of just walking up the path. My feet collide with the grass, leaving heavy trampled footprints.

     "No, no, no, NO!" The grind of rocks echoes in the valley behind me, getting louder and louder with every second that passes. Strawberries tumble out of my sack, and I clutch it to my chest like a mother holding a baby. Pure terror courses through my veins, spreading with every exploding beat of my heart. I tear down the path, my skirt snagging on rocks as I hear a soft thudding approach.

     There, the entrance to the cave. I give it my all, a scream escaping my lips involuntarily. It stops short as something collides with my body from behind, squeezing me and lifting me up into the air as I flail wildly.