Dangerous Territory

Nearing the Border

If you like to listen to ambient sounds while reading (I do while writing) I created one specifically for this scene with the horses. I like to listen to ambiance on my phone, either on YouTube or making my own with the Ambient Mixer app, while I write stories on my laptop. —  https://countryside.ambient-mixer.com/horses-in-the-countryside

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Levi woke up to shaking.

"Get up."

A second later, he felt what seemed like bindings holding his arms in. He jolted and tried to fight the restraints, only to realize it was a blanket tightly wrapped around him. His pillow had been Eren's chest, and the saddle between his thighs made his whole spine ache. He blinked out the sleepiness and saw the sky was lighting up in the east.

"Did I seriously sleep all night?" he grumbled.

"Well, you didn't fall asleep until really late," Eren explained. "We need you to translate."

"Fine, fine." Levi stretched, and his shoulder cracked loudly. "That's not good," he muttered. He stretched his neck, getting more bones to crack. "Ow. That one wasn't good either." He yanked his neck the other way, and it cracked again. "There. I'm getting too damn old for this."

Levi glanced around. The Nazis had gathered in an equestrian facility, with large barns, stables, paddocks, and round pens. Were they exchanging horses yet again?

"Where are we?"

"Just north of Mondorff," Eren said, looking jittery.

"Mondorff, good. I need to stretch and have a nice, long sleep."

"We're not stopping," Eren blurted out.

Levi slowly turned around to look at him. "What?" he asked in a low, dire tone. "Why the hell not?" Then Levi realized just how fast Eren was breathing. If he had been a little jittery before, it was far worse now. "Oh God, please don't tell me you took another one of those damn pills."

"All of us. Everyone," Eren said, tapping his hand as his lungs worked twice as fast. "Hauptmann. Captain. Captain, he say ... he says, we go on. All of us. We ride to Metz. All the way to Metz."

"You're joking," Levi groaned. That was insane; soldiers should not be expected to travel for a solid twenty-four hours. "The horses—"

"Yes! The horses. Horses, ja," Eren said, looked around in quick, sharp movements. "That's why, they have horses here, horses to ride, fresh, so captain say, switch horses, take another pill, we're going to Metz, we're heading, right now, tonight, all the way to Metz, we're ... we're riding to Metz."

Levi shook his head. This was worse than the time he saw a man from Venice drink ten cups of coffee in one sitting. "So, you need me to translate?"

"Yes! Person, horse, horse person, talk to him, trade horses, money, whatever, trade."

"All right, all right," he sighed as Eren rode up to a farmer. "I've never done a horse trade. Help me slide down. I seriously need to get off this damn saddle. Need to take a piss too."

Suddenly, Eren had Levi under the armpits, lifted his straight up like he weighed nothing, and set him down a little hard on the ground, making Levi stumble on his saddle-sore legs.

"Hey! Watch it."

"You said you needed help."

Levi shook his head. "Seriously, how strong are you on those pills?"