Meow (AOT Story)

Reminisce

The room was quiet, except for the soft breathing of the taller male as he slept in the armchair next to the window. Flegel had just woken and was washing up before moving over to bed so that he could gaze out the window from beside him. The morning was slow, and not many people were walking about outside from what the younger boy could see. Giving off a loud sigh, Flegel turned his attention to the sleeping male across from him.

"Matthew. Hey, man. Wake up." Flegel mumbled as he moved across the room to gently nudge the man in front of him.

"Just five more minutes." Said man grumbled as he shifted in the seat.

"Come on. I'm hungry and its almost noon." Flegel whined as he continued to shake Matthew.

"Alright, fine. We gotta talk anyways." Matthew groans as he stands from his seat and stretches his arms out.

"Talk about what?" Reeves asks as he takes a step back.

"What you are going to do from now on. I have to go back to the capital and make several reports, so I will no longer be here to keep an eye on you. Although, I'm sure that the Scouts have already procured you some sort of security." The neko began as he watched the younger male's face.

"Wait, so you're leaving me? I can't survive out there on my own. What if those guys come back for me? They'll kill me!" Flegel began ranting and pacing.

"Flegel, calm down and listen to me!" Matthew growled as he gripped the younger man's shoulders.

"But I don't wanna die." The younger man sniffed as his shoulders sagged.

"You aren't going to die, Flegel. The Scouts have already figured out how they are going to protect you, but there is something that I want you to think about. Your father was helping the people rebuild by giving them jobs and food. Now that he's gone, who is going to be there for them?" The older male spoke as his glare softened.

"I don't know. I don't know what to do anymore." Flegel mumbled as he turned away from the taller male.

"Well you have time to think on it. Just keep your head down and stay out of trouble. Okay?" Matthew smirked as he patted Flegel's head.

"Right." Flegel smacked the older boy's hand away.

"Hopefully I'll see you again, but I gotta go. Take care of yourself." Matthew grinned as he moved to leave the room.

"Yeah, you take care of yourself too." Flegel grinned as he watched the older male disappear from sight.

Once outside the inn, Matthew made his way back to where Levi said he'd be. The streets were quiet with barely any people moving about. As he moved through the city, Matthew noticed how many shadows filled the alleyways as he passed by. Grunting quietly, the neko boy moved to the outskirts of the city and made his way into the forest. Although, when he arrived at the Scout's camp he found it completely empty. Nothing was there, all of the camping supplies that were there the day before were gone. Groaning loudly, Matthew glanced around the clearing before making his way into the trees and transforming into his feline form. Climbing a tree next to him, he moved to the higher branches and looked around for any signs of the Scouts. Seeing nothing left by humans, the boy decided to follow his nose. Scouting around the area, he finally picked up a slight scent from Levi. Grinning widely, Matthew followed after their scent and ran through the forest. He kept running for awhile before fatigue finally began to set in, and he stopped by a stream to get a drink. Laying down next to the water, Matthew looked forward and at his reflection. His piercing blue eyes stared back at him and all he could think about was the day when he first found out about his ability.

~Flashback 6 years~

"Matthew, wake up. It's time to go." Allen's voice whispered as the said boy stirred slightly.

"Why so early, Dad?" Matthew yawned and rubbed his eyelids. 

"We have to if we are going to get good game." The older man laughed as he dragged the young boy out of bed.

"Oh yeah! I'm going on my first hunt!" Matthew grinned as he raced outside.

Laughing at his son, Allen grabbed the hunting equipment and headed out towards the gates of Quinta. The two males made their way into the forest outside of the city, and moved to the center of the forest. Allen walked over to his favorite tree and began to climb it with his son not far behind. Listening to the grunts and groans of the child made Allen snicker to himself as he made his way to one of the higher branches.

"Dad, why are we climbing so high?" Matthew huffed as he climbed onto the branch behind his father. 

"We just have to get a few squirrels today." The father smiled as he readied his bow and handed Matthew his very own bow. 

"Alright, so how are we going to do this?" The younger boy smirked as he followed his father's gaze. 

"I need you to concentrate on getting to the end of this branch. Just close your eyes and breathe." Allen smiled as he gestured to the end of the branch.

"That's it? This will be a piece of cake!" Matthew grinned as he closed his eyes and took a deep breathe.

"Good job, Son. You're doing great." The older man smiled.

"I told you it'd be a piece of cake!" The younger Jones smirked as he brought his hand to the top of his head. 

"I knew it would be for you. Now here take a look at something." Allen chuckled as he tossed a mirror to his son.

"Why'd you give me a mirror? What's this...? What the hell? What is this?" Matthew nearly shrieked as he pulled on his ears.

"Haha, I figured you would react this way. This is the Jones family secret, some of us have the ability while others do not." Senior Jones laughed.

 "What all does this secret ability entail?" Matthew frowned as he stared at his father.

"Well we have the ability to heighten our senses and turn our bodies into cats. Our family has had this ability for generations and really no one knows when we acquired it. It does have its benefits though, like we are able to bypass normal Titans. Just not Abnormals." Allen explained as his ears popped up out of his hair.

"Wow." Matthew mumbled as stared at the brown ears.

The two became silent as they moved to different sections of the tree. Quietly, the hunted for the next several hours and before long they had enough squirrels to distribute to the other families. The trek back to their home was quiet as they moved from the forest to the roads of Quinta. 

"Hey, Dad?" Matthew finally spoke once they reached the shed behind their home.

"What's up?" Allen started to skin the squirrels.

"How did you find out that you had this ability?" Matthew asked as he leaned against the wall.

"I learned the same way you did, actually. My father took me to the same tree that I took you." The older man smiled as he cleaned his knife.

"That's really cool, Dad. Do you think Tiffany will have the same ability?" The younger boy asked as he hung up a few squirrels.

"Of course I do. She has more agility than even you, and her senses are definitely on point." Allen laughed.

"Yeah. Right." Matthew grumbled as he stalked out of the shed.

~Present Time~

A loud sigh escaped Matthew's lips as he stared at his reflection in the water. A small smile made his way onto his face, until his eyes made its way back to his reflection. His family's feline forms appeared in the water next to him. Causing the small smile to turn into a frown, and for him to paw at the water. He missed his family, now more than ever. Of course he still had Tiffany, but they haven't spoken in a while and she seemingly blocked their connection. The worry for his sister worsened as he continued to think of what she could possibly be doing. Unfortunately, there was nothing that could distract him from his worrying thoughts.

Tiffany...What are you doing out there?