The Birth of Freedom

Heichou

AURORA

My first expedition had been a success with a low number of casualties reported and we had successfully deposited supply caches in a crumbling village around three hours ride from Trost, when we next rode out, we would be able to push further along to Shiganshina.

I had assisted Miche and Gelgar in clearing the village of Titans, earning one more solo kill and four assists with Rian and Nanaba arriving shortly after to help secure the area for the rest of the formation to arrive safely. Rian like myself had been forced to engage an abnormal before it could become a threat to the centre ranks on route to our destination, his face had been alit with the thrill of killing his first Titan, a feeling I now knew intimately.

Taking down those two abnormals had felt like nothing I had ever experienced before. The rush of adrenaline when I carved out their napes had sent such a thrill through my body it had been borderline pleasurable, even colliding with the floor hadn't been able to mask the feeling. What had put a dampener on my high though had been when Captain Levi had manhandled me to my feet before shoving me to my horse, commanding I get back to my position. I had risked my life chasing those Titan's and had put them down before they could compromise the command squad, I had done my job as I was supposed to. So, when he put his hands on me in force and barked at me like a misbehaving child, I hadn't been able to stop the fury from boiling in my blood.

Upon arrival to the village, Commander Erwin had approached Miche and me, personally commending my battle prowess and congratulating me on my first Titan kills. I had saluted fiercely while Miche had watched with a look of pride before ordering that I see to my gear. Restocking my blades and gas, Eld had offered to see to my straps and buckles to make sure nothing had loosened when I had collided with the ground earlier.

He had been halfway through tightening the straps across my chest when I noticed his gaze was elsewhere, following his line of sight, I saw Captain Levi glaring in my direction, his face seething. I remember shifting uncomfortably before refusing to look at the man.

"What's with the Captain?" Eld had asked while gesturing for me to spin around to check the straps across my back.

"Your guess is as good as mine, though if I had to guess, he's probably pissed he had to ride all that way towards me for nothing" I had shrugged and Eld had handed me back my jacket before helping me re-strap my arm bracers.

"Yeah about that. That was quite the show for a rookie's first time in the field" He had smiled as he picked up my cloak and wrapped it around my shoulders before securing it into place.

"I aim to please" I had drawled, secretly pleased with the praise. We had both laughed before returning to our horses.

The return home had gone without a hitch, and before long, we were arriving at headquarters and heading to our designated areas for debriefs. By the time I had document my kill counts and assists for the public records and filed my report for Miche, the sun had begun to set. With free time to kill I had decided to go and sneak some apples to Kano, after all he had been my guardian out there today and deserved a treat.

Depositing my cloak and gear in my room I unravelled my hair from it tight braid, sighing in relief as the thick mass fell down my back. Quickly racing to the kitchen, I grabbed a small bag of apples before making my way to the stables.

I passed a few others on my way and nodded my greetings before entering the deserted stables. Walking to my stall at the end of the row, I clicked my tongue to alert Kano to my presence. Flicking his ears, his head nuzzled into my face before pulling at the bag in my hand. Laughing I fed him the contraband before I rested my forehead on his muzzle, stroking the side of his neck.