Immersed in her success and attempting to encourage the fierce but small flame of pride burning in her chest, Lauren didn't hear Mora creeping up behind her and almost cried out as the girl's strong arms wrapped around her in an iron grip. She struggled at first, kicking bursts of powdery snow up into the air but unable to break free from the other girl, until she heard her voice and stopped almost immediately. The pain and the worry were naked in Mora's voice and she could feel slight tremors in her friend's body, pressed up against hers, as she struggled to control her emotions.

For a moment they stayed that way until Mora let her go and she took a step forwards before turning around, eyeing her friend in concern. The thought that her actions could be misread in such a way hadn't even crossed her mind for a second and the realisation that what she had shared with the other girl, the burdens she had piled upon her, hit home truly for her. This wasn't about her sharing her fears, her self-loathing and seeking help just so that she could better fight her own battles; it was about working through them together with Mora who shared some of those troubles too.

There was silence between them, Mora about to start speaking and then thinking better of it, Lauren unwilling to interrupt her friend and unsure of what she could say that hadn't already been said. In the end, Mora drew her back into an embrace, head resting on her shoulder and arms wrapped around her.

"I need you with me, you dummy."

Lauren drew Mora closer to her, tightening their embrace and laying a hand on the back of her friend's head, stroking her hair but unsure of how to respond. What did this mean? Was it an answer to her feelings? It was too vague, she decided, to be taken at face value. Mora was never one to beat around the bush and would tell her flat out how she felt rather than drop hints in hope of starting up a conversation through which she could reveal any attraction between them. Still, the sentiment thrilled her and she smiled, indulging in the potential behind those words even if it ended up being a mere illusion.

"I'm not going anywhere, Ra. Least of all away from you." Reluctantly she pulled free of their embrace, not wanting to attract too much attention from any early rising cadets or observant veterans and put Mora in an awkward position. Gesturing at the cliff behind them she sighed. "I'm sorry, Ra. I didn't think how... it might seem. I was getting rid of it. The last bottle. The one I gave you." Her pride was returning and she couldn't help but grin, growing more animated and dancing on the balls of her feet. "I threw it off - no idea where it is now and I don't care! Sure, it was hard and for a moment I wanted to go find it but it's gone! Maybe I'm not free yet but it's a start."

In her excitement she grabbed Mora's hands, pumping her arms up and down with her face close to her friend's but she was unconscious to any awkwardness it might cause, too caught up in her own excitement was she. "I could be strong 'cause of you, Ra! You helped, just by listening. Oh, I don't know how I can explain how much it meant, for you to not judge me. I feel like... like before, y'know. And stronger!"

She laughed, swinging her friend round with her and then pointing towards the main cabin. "We should get some food, I forgot we didn't eat. Sort of my fault, that. Sorry. Let's go now though, while no one else is up." Nothing worried her right then, the exhilaration of victory over herself overriding her fatigue from lack of sleep, and she pulled Mora away from the cliff with her, a wide grin spread across her face.

Spotting a familiar, small, figure walking away from the cabins she veered on an intercept course. She was worried that they, she, had been ignoring Jade too much recently, so consumed with her own troubles was she. Vowing not to leave any of her friends by the wayside any longer, she swooped in and grabbed Jade's hand, ignoring the smaller girl's protestations. "Come on, we're getting something to eat, Jade!" She laughed again, pulling the two girls towards the main cabin with an exuberance she hadn't shown dwelt within her at any time during the last two years



Some of the cadets were up but most were still within their cabins, either deep in an alcohol fuelled sleep or else suffering its morning aftereffects. Whatever their reason for staying in bed, they soon regretted it as the veteran soldiers pushed their way into the cabins, roaring at the cadets.

"Sleep time's over - get your asses to the mess hall! You have five minutes!" They tossed any particularly sleepy looking cadets from their bunks to wake them up fully, standing and watching over the young would-be soldiers as they hurriedly pulled on winter coats and boots and then shuffled from their cabins, bowed under the hard, watchful gazes of the veterans.

Inside the Mess Hall, Sano and Jay soon found their fight broken up as a soldier easily stepped between them, backhanding each of them across the face and sending them reeling to the floor with the surprising force of the simple blow. With nothing said to them, they were dragged to different tables and sat down forcefully with a plate of food pushed in front of them, regardless of whether they had eaten already or not. Soon after other cadets filtered into the cabin in various states of wakefulness but were pushed and organised by the veterans until they were all sitting with steaming food and drinks of tea before them.

"You have thirty minutes to eat and prep. Assemble in the square with your packs and be ready to go immediately - you will be leaving as one group overseen by us. Your mission is to make it the bottom of the hill, find any sign of those who never made it here last night, and avoid any unforeseen dangers." One of the older veterans, for Schulz was apparently absent from the camp, stalked between the tables and yelled the orders out at them as the cadets ate, stopping occasionally either for emphasis or to keep those around him alert. "At times you may enter battle without proper intel so you will value you it more when you know the dangers before you which extend beyond the presence of Titans! Yesterday the cold and visibility was your enemy - today it will be heat and avalanche! Conditions are perfect after last night's snow fall for any small thing to trigger one so be on the alert. You will get further instructions upon assembly!"

Within the thirty minutes the cadets stood uneasily in the square between the cabins. The previous night they had sat around drinking and laughing with the veterans but now they were surrounded by cold and professional soldiers who had no time for disobedience or weakness. They had watched ever aspect of the cadets' preparations, escorting them to cabins and watching over them so that no time was wasted in getting their gear together. A lot of them looked unwell, still suffering from the night before or struggling with a rushed breakfast, but they were there and stood firmly at attention as the apparent commander of the small camp stood at the front and barked out his instructions.

"You will head down the mountain with a guide at the front to take you the quickest and safest route down. After that there will be one guide for every dozen of you. Stay together as one group but should anything happen you report to your nearest guide and follow their instructions to the letter." He was striding between the ranks of cadets now, glaring around at them all as he continued. "On your way down you will notice stop points ringed with wooden stakes. These are safe areas, zones designate to be the least likely affected in the event of an avalanche. This is not definite. Follow the instruction of those guiding you and, should you find yourself separate from them, use your own sense and instincts. Do not stop and do not walk across any areas destabilised by an avalanche."

He walked back to the front and faced the cadets, staring them down for a while before turning to nod at the experience guide nearest him who turned and began to walk towards the entrance to the camp. Orders were called and the cadets began to file after him, two or three abreast, guides taking up positions at regular intervals with the sun beating down dangerously hard. It's bright rays no longer illuminated a beautiful vista but instead cast doubt and danger upon the mountain face.

Connor had remained asleep until the soldiers stormed into their cabin, commanding them to wake up. The first thing he noticed when he tried to sit up was that his body was sore ad stiff, and he merely fell back against his pillow. As he looked at the ceiling, everything seemed to wobble and wave. He quickly forced himself to sit up and stand to not allow himself time to quit the process. However, as he tried to stand, he felt his legs give way and he tumbled to the floor beside his boots and gear. He groaned as he pushed himself up, frustrated to hear a delighted laugh behind him. He looked up to see to of the older, veteran soldiers looked down at him with smirks on their faces. "Lad's a bit wasted, he is." The taller one said, laughing and smiling through his bushy red beard. "He can't handle his liquid, I suppose."

Connor groaned again and laid his forehead against the cabin floor. He sighed and pushed himself upright, putting his tunic on, then forcing himself into his harness, each move sending a horrible regret through his body. He made a mental note that he wasn't very good at drinking. He finished buckling his harness and stepped into his boots. He bent down to try and pick up his jacket, but a sudden feeling stopped him halfway down. He put his hands on his knees as he groaned, feeling his stomach protest the movement. The laughing from the two veteran soldiers ceased, the smaller giving an, "Uh oh..."

"Out the door, cadet!" The bearded soldier put his hand on Connor's back and shoved him towards the cabin entrance, just in time for the young man to vomit into the snow beside the cabin. A couple "Ooh's!" and an "Aw man..." echoed from the spectating soldiers, who also had their share of laughs. Connor groaned, moving to stand. He stopped immediately and went another round in the snow, earning a couple more remarks from the spectators. The large, bearded soldier marched out of the cabin, the clapped Connor on the back, causing the latter's stomach to threaten more ejection. He shoved a steaming tankard of tea into his hands. "Drink this. You've got two minutes to get to the square, Cadet!"

Connor took a drink of the liquid, but immediately spit out the horrible contents into the snow. He coughed at the horrible taste, calling towards the elder soldier. "Is this supposed to help me?!"

"Negative, Cadet!" He shouted.

"Then why'd you give it to me?!" He called back, incredulously. The larger soldier laughed again as his fellow soldiers copied his reaction.

"Because it's funny."

Connor groaned and tossed the tankard into the snow. He stumbled back into the cabin, grabbing his coat and buttoning it. He hefted his pack over his shoulders and fastened it to sit comfortably, but it still felt like half a ton of bricks on his back. He groaned a third time and marched out of the cabin, nearly falling into the snow after tripping on his own feet. As he marched forward he felt his eyes tried to shut themselves so he could, but luckily the cold wind kept whipping him in the face and keeping him from falling on his face in the snow. Each step felt like he was wading through a lake of water. He pushed forward and joined the other cadets in the square. Even as they marched off to travel down the mountain, Connor felt like he was good and ready to fall down and not get up.

Thankfully, the trip down allowed them more visibility than the trip up the mountain. He could see the others and had no trouble keep track of the ground in front of him, thankfully because he had to focus on the ground so he didn't take a bad step. He felt like his legs were going to give in with each step. Finally he got ahead of himself and his foot failed him, sending him toppling over into Jade in front of him, unfortunately landing the majority of his sluggish body against the much smaller cadet.

[color=silver]Waking up in the morning was a fate worse than death. When she woke from her slumber, her head felt like it was weighed down by a bunch of bricks. It was a war between her body and mind, especially when the veterans stormed the girls' cabin. Before her clouded, pain-ridden mind could even resemble something akin to a thought, she was torn from her cot and dropped onto the cold, wooden ground. Her whole body protested, especially her stomach; her guts twisted and turned, and she struggled to keep its contents within her. "Up and at it, lass. Get to the mess hall, already," one of the soldiers told her. Olivia's arms quivered as she fought to remain somewhat upright, eyes downcast as she avoided the soldiers' teasing looks and the light that filtered inside the cabin. The men were still watching her, and she knew they expected her to be out of the structure before they left. I regret everything.

It was the first thought that the inner workings of her skull spouted out. The girl hauled herself to her feet, paling visibly with the motion. The walls, the floor, the faces of the soldiers... they all spun around her. Olivia stiffened up, feeling bile reach the back of her throat, but quickly swallowed. She couldn't throw up there. Not in front of them. But the more she moved, the more her stomach and body and mind protested. The troopers seemed to know very well of her situation, and roughly grabbed the clothed girl by her collar and shoved her outside as quickly as they could. Her feet staggered beneath her body, and the world spun more and more before she caught herself on the side of the building. By then, it was too late to keep fighting the urge to vomit. Olivia purged herself by the corner of the building, not bothering to look down at the mess she made on the snow. She felt that if she looked at it, more vomit would come.

Someway, somehow, she found herself heading towards the mess hall like the soldiers told her to. Olivia braved the distance half-willingly, only pushing further due to the fact she was afraid of getting yelled at. If she had the choice, she would have remained in bed. But, thankfully, by the time that her feet touched the floors of the mess hall, she was feeling a little better; and, by a little better, she meant that she got the taste of vomit out of her mouth. She ate as much breakfast as she could without expelling it all over again. Sluggishly, she joined the rest of the unit, who had begun to get orders from one of the soldiers. They would make it back down, one way or another. At least, she hoped so; the way that he spoke made it seem extremely dangerous, as if an avalanche could happen at any waking moment. A yawn escaped her as she followed after them, her eyes half-lidded. She had to keep her eyes open, even if the light made her feel like her eyes and brain were on fire.



Of course, they didn't seem too happy to him. Tobias wasn't surprised-- he was always the center of issues. He often got scolded by the higher-ups, and he never remained stationed in a place for long. His way of being usually clashed with other people's personalities, leading to heated disagreements and dysfunction within units. To be honest, even he was surprised when he was told he would be placed with Squad 9 once more. Even Lukas asked him whether or not he was going to stay for good, earning a pensive look from Tobias. He would prefer it if he stayed in one place for more than a few months, but if things didn't work out, then what was he supposed to do?

Quietly, he followed the four of them onto the lift, standing in the corner and glancing back at Lukas. "I'm not sure. I supposed that we should hope for the best," Tobias answered straightforwardly. Last time that he was with them, Evi and him never got along. In fact, she was the one he argued with the most. She had a strong personality, he had to admit; she was as stubborn as a bull, and he found it difficult to work with her.

Sighing, Tobias tossed a half-assed look in her direction before turning to face Lukas once more. Lukas was someone that he could work on the same pace with. He was easy to interact with, more or less, mostly because they only conversed about their goals and missions and that was it. "So, what's the plan for today?"

Although Jade had tried to get a move on before the others, so she could get some time to gather her thoughts and fix her mood, she had once again found herself being taken against her will by Lauren. Although she always acted mad, huffing and puffing as she'd get tugged along, Jade could never keep a straight face with them. A laugh here and there would escape her lips which would through off her whole charade. Yet, now she had found herself right behind her two friends, looking back and forth at the back of their heads. They had been acting strange ever since they had made the hike up the mountain, which made Jade feel a bit uncomfortable. Something was either going on, or something was wrong, either way they were keeping it from her. A tiny bit of jealousy and anger arose inside the small girl which caused her to look down at her feet as she trudged along behind her.

As she let the feeling dissolve into nothing, Jade suddenly found herself being hit from the back, causing her to yell out in a bit of pain and surprise. Before she knew it, the girl was face first into some snow, and under something much heavier than her. A strong feeling of claustrophobia took over her as she tried to move and couldn't. The young girl quickly began flailing around in frustration and desperation, wiggling herself around and getting to a position where she was on her back to the snow, allowing her to breathe with ease. "God damn it, get off of me!" Jade practically growled at Connor as she realized that the young man was not doing much to get off. Although he was several pounds heavier than her, it didn't stop Jade from getting in some movements, twisting her hips and bucking him off of her.

A slightly out of breath Jade stood up and patted herself down to get excess snow off of herself, her face as red as a tomato. "Connor what in the world has possessed you?!" The girl's green eyes looked over to the young man as she slightly glared at him. After a second of him not really moving, she walked over and grabbed his arm, yanking him upwards to help him stand up. She could smell the lingering scent of last night's alcohol on him, which made her realize what his problem was. "You're going to have one hell of a hike down, y'know?"

'W-what? Wait...' Mora's mind stuttered as the mood had suddenly shifted. The darkness that plagued Lauren's eyes the other night were now filled to the brim with excitement. Her whole body seemed to radiate as she twirled the red head in the snow, exclaiming her declaration to the dawn's frosty air. Mora couldn't quite wrap her head around it. She had come there expecting the worst and hoping for the best. Guilt, sorrow, anger and joy. They danced together in the chaos that was Lauren's smile, though Mora couldn't keep her own smile off her lips. The girl's enthusiasm infectious and for the moment she pushed away the need to understand. Instead she laughed along with her friend, basking in her glow.

Though the moment faded as quickly as it came as Lauren began to march Mora back to the camps mess hall. Mora following in tow silently as she smiled to herself. A few days ago she would be said this trip was without purpose. She had complained the entire time up the mountain but now, after everything that had come to light and to see her friends face light up, Mora did feel the same.

Suddenly, without warning, Lauren veered off the beaten path. She opened her mouth to question but as Jade came into view, Mora quickly looked away. 'Jade.' her name rang guilty in Mora's head as Lauren stArted to drag her back up to the cabins. Not once had she sought out her friend since they arrived. She didn't check in on her. She didn't make sure she was safe. Instead, Mora had been so busy wrapping herself up in Lauren that she suddenly felt a fissure open up between the them. Not that Lauren seemed to notice. The red head didn't know how to reach out to Jade, not without spilling Lauren's secrets. So instead she watched her feet trudge through the soft powdery snow.

Mora's stomach rumbled to life as they near as the cabins. The scent of food lingering in the open air wafted away all Mora's worries as her mind filled with the thought of filling the gnawing pit in her belly. "Hey, guys. I'm going to go ahead." she said as she pulled away from the duo and giving Reese a small wave as he passed by.

Mora followed him in quietly humming to herself, "Food. Food. Food." flashing a smile to those who were already sitting and eating at the tables.

As soon as Mora sat down to eat a nearby officer spoke up, "Alright, cadets! Time to head back down. Lets go!" Mora groaned before hurriedly shoving in a few mouthfuls before abandoning the rest of her breakfast. A little of something was better than nothing on the chilly hike down, or at least that's what she was going to tell herself.

Outside the cadets were gathering into groups with their guides. Mora shrugged on her pack before spotting a scuffle in the snow. Jogging quickly over as she spotted Jade suddenly slip out from beneath the bigger cadet; her face washed in irritation as she patted herself down. "Everyone ok?" More inquired, huffing as she watched Jade pull Connor to his feet with worry. "Is he going to be able to make it down?" she moved around to the front of them. Mora trying to judge how unwell the cadet truly was. 'Drinking was a bad idea.' she sighed inwardly.

---

Gabriel hung his head low for a few seconds until Tanner walked up behind him, placing his shoulders on his own. The boy almost tensed up immediately, but just as soon as he had, he calmed down after realizing who it was. Tanner spoke to him about talking over his issue, as if it could solve it. It wasn't that easy, though. It was a terrible thought to bring up, no matter how much he tried to toughen himself up to the possibility. He sighed, looked back up at her, and smiled. His face looked slightly burnt all the way to the bottom of his ears when Tanner's arms wrapped around his shoulder. "T-Thanks, Tanner. We can talk about it on the way down the the slope. If we're late, we'll get chewed out." After gazing about for a few seconds, making sure the room was cleared (or at the very least nobody was looking), Gabriel leaned in and laid a small kiss on Tanner's forehead. "Let's hurry up and-" Before he could finish, Reese came in, and sat across from the two. He listened to Reese carefully and waved his hands. "It's fine, Reese. I remember the call....I've just been a little on edge lately. Sick, too...I guess."

He stood up and walked to the other side, giving Reese a more-than-light punch to the side of his arm and smiled lightly. "Just don't do it again unless there's a real titan or else I'll snap your arm." Gabriel thought a joke like that would be enough to scare Reese. He was never serious in his threats, but boy did he leave little to the imagination. He stared down at the two for a bit and beckoned them to follow, his smile fading away. "Let's hurry up and go. The cold won't be as bad as it was last night, but we still need to hurry up and get ready. Eat if you need to; I can't right now. My stomach is killing me." His eyes lingered on Tanner for a few seconds, as if to say something further, but he couldn't find the words to say it. With that, he walked out, and headed back to their cabin to change and pack up for the trip down the slope.

Mid-way through his improvised lyrics, a face that barely talked to him suddenly thrusted itself within his vicinity. He was bombarded with quickfire questions, all of which he had no time to answer. He was being commanded in a fashion that was aggravating. His peace and tranquillity of which was his own, seemingly-forced-by-everyone-else, solitary mind had been disturbed with the annoyance he was being presented with. The mood that he held at their arrival up the mountain would not help in a situation like this. This girl, Lauren, would never speak to him on a regular basis. So, now he was being bombarded with questions only regarding to satisfying the seemingly irritating compassion of the maintenance of random folk's health. Sure, it would be nice to have the checkup, but when he saw how everyone spoke with one another, for the past months, and have this be his only interaction, all he could feel was frustration and small-scale rage. The timing was all wrong for her.

As she held the snow in front of him, making him feel on the spot, he could feel everything slow down for him, like any situation he was put in. He looked around, at everyone really. Grant could see the joy or concern or sorrow, or just any emotion, in the faces of those around him. Only Olivia's directed any sort of attention to him that hadn't for once mimicked the attention towards another. He stirred in his mind, feeling the warmth of the fire only enlighten the inner-feelings he had inside himself. Every day, he had kept his views of being an outcast bottled up inside, joking around and pretending he meant something to more than 4% of the group he lived with. And the snow being held in front of him could have melted from the steam and shock burning in his muse.

The day he first joined, he could almost feel the happiness he once shed upon the group slowly wither away. Maybe it was the death of Luca that catalysed this inner-demon of his, but either way, the group forced him to act so differently. Before she was to depart, Grant acted, grabbing her wrist, twisting it along her arm's axis gently to pour the snow onto the floor, where he mumbled the first opinion he'd been bottling up for so long.

"Like you actually fucking care..." A wintery-heat erupted from his mumble as he loosened the grip, standing onto his feet and turning. He took his paper, his drawing equipment and wandered off from the embracing light and warmth of the bonfire. Grant made his way around the Cabin, to where only the light of candles were.

In front of him stood a darkened silhouette of another mountain. It was hard to make out, especially with a few candles beside where he stood. For the next twenty minutes, he slid down into the snow, an extra jacket wrapped over his shoulders over the already caring clothing he'd attired with. The wetness of the snow felt like his arse was dipping into a lake. He used an array of thicknesses with the black coal he'd mustered from inside. Though in the night he sat, the light of the candles allowed him to judge the stress-relief he was giving himself. The scene was a bit off, some of the colours being too bright in patches and too dark in the others. Either way, it passed the time long enough for him to drift back inside, where people had already been heading inside for. They'd drunken the weird substance offered, in which Grant denied. And from there, he entered the Cabin, found a place to lie down (Whether or not it was his designated bed or the floor).

He was with his thoughts again, where the courage to speak his mind to anyone else felt conflicting. His decision was not as he seemed. Why had he spent so long on a farm alone, and yet he hated the solitary treatment he was given here? Was it because Mateo comforted him for the final months of his time there? From what it seemed, no one here were to comfort him or shower him in love during his final months. He had no idea when those final months were. Sometimes he hoped they lasted longer than the others to prove his was worth something. Other times he hoped it lasted a shorter time, just so he could get out of the mental torture he was enduring...



As everyone began to start heading down the Mountain, from their starting positions of course, Grant looked upon his Cadet comrades. They mostly looked sick, drunk or hungover from the night before. The only sickness Grant felt was having to see people who had joined the Training Corps in that position. If this was the plague that showered the cadets here, most of them would be a fine addition to the Military Police, providing they could stand on their two feet to receive any sort of fucking accommodation in the Line of Duty.

Grant, like always, remained at the back, watching the rear of people's heads. Talking and chattering between people, words saying that "they'll talk about it later" showed the closeness of everyone in the group. Everyone had that 'One' individual who they could rely on. Grant came into the Training Corps with Reese, Olivia and Gabriel...He had continued on almost alone. Given, Olivia had tried hard to keep in contact with him, but her obsession over talking to the others made it feel like he wasn't even part of that group. Gabriel had talked to him once, they went fishing and it was a nice experience. But he never did anything afterwards, as some might have expected. As for Reese...Well, Grant was but the air surrounding Reese, nothing but something around him.

His thoughts burnt through these depressing subjects and opinions as he felt the need to talk to someone. But that feeling had stuck with him for a few months. Was it time to express feelings he had towards people? Sure, he had positive, far too positive, feelings that he directed towards someone, but in this day of age would they care? Most of the thoughts would turn negative knowing the depressing shithole Grant had become.

He dwelled upon his own image of himself. Grant knew of how he may be overcasting his judgement on his situation a lot, but that's what allowed him to identify the little feeling he had in comparison to how he was before. Life was but a game of cat and mouse, the happiness hopelessly trying to escape from a cancer of misjudgement and misery. Grant's mind swung towards how he acted the night before. He was in an almost fictional world to the others, would anyone, if even Lauren, care to question the outcast he'd made himself? Was it his own actions that had granted him such a mind-scrambling solo debate?

A moment of silence finally found its way in his mind as he looked upon Olivia, standing away from people for once. By her expressions, she looked sick to death by the beverages of the previous night. And with that, he couldn't help but smile slightly, yet only briefly. His pace finally picked up enough to stand beside her, for the first time in a long time.

"Hey..." He mumbled, quite awkwardly. A feeling stuck in his heart like a dagger that had been there for a while, but the tip was poisoned with the emotions of awkwardness. He'd not had any normal conversations, and it was soon to be the time that he told her of his struggles with emotions within the Cadets. "I...Heard there was some drinks, last night? Heh heh..." An almost lifeless chuckle seeped from his lips, as if he had tried, but fell too short from his weakness.

A strong silence was created by him after she responded, where he kept walking, eyes planted into the snow below his own feet. Grant hadn't felt more entitled to spreading his opinions and experiences, his wants and desires of resigning for the fact there was no more self-confidence or esteem left to care.

"I...owe you a lot. Explanations, really...But...I'd prefer not having people around who...well...are involved...Which is everyone, in all honesty..."

"What d'you reckon, halfway down?"

The senior guide chewed the inside of his cheek thoughtfully as he gazed down the mountain and then back up again, eyes narrowed against the reflection of the sun's rays off the snow's white brilliance. Eventually he nodded in agreement, casting his gaze back along the line of cadets trudging on past them. Many were worse for ware, exhausted from the climb up the previous night and many suffering the ill-effects of their first taste of alcohol. Veterans and guides trudged along at intervals, chivying them on, all the while staring up the mountain for any sign of danger; especially when they were furthest between safe zones.

"We'll be out of the danger zone before long. We could take a break then, some of the kids look like they need it."

As he spoke one of the cadets a few paces from them wobbled and fell with a curse, nursing a leg with a pained grimace on their face. Some of his fellows stopped to check on him, kneeling down the in the snow to look at the injury. Shaking his head, the veteran guide looked back up the mountain again. And froze.

"Attention!" He roared, swinging his companion around and pointing towards the cadets before them. "Take that group to the next rest stop. We'll pull back to the previous one. Go!" He didn't need to point out the red trail of smoke from a flare above them, an early warning from the team still at the cabins, as the other guides had all looked up the moment he shouted to them all. There was a whirlwind of activity as the guides and veterans shoved cadets in one direction or another before charging up to the designated safe area themselves.

Moments after they began the ground began to tremble slightly under their feet, the tremor growing in strength and soon followed by a deep rumbling from above. Anyone looking up the mountain could soon see the white mist of an approaching avalanche, followed by the massive landslide of snow which carried stone and trees and any other obstacles in its path down at terrifying speed.

---

She had been walking alongside Mora, Jade behind them, when the small girl yelped out and struggled with the other cadet who had fallen upon her. While amusing, the anger on Jade's face was less so but she seemed more embarrassed than angry at the boy whose face was pale from whatever plagued him; Lauren suspected it was probably alcohol the previous evening causing his misfortune. Everything was in hand so she hiked her pack and continued on, the others would catch up and she didn't want to lose the rhythm she had been getting into. Although she herself had not partaken in as much drinking the previous night her body was still sore from the strain of the hike and her general lack of proper sleep wasn't helping much either.

When the call came for them to seek shelter she span around, her first instinct to look for Mora and Jade but they were both further behind her and closer to the rest area. She began to head towards them when she heard someone yelling for help behind. Pausing a moment she saw a boy who had fallen over in the snow struggling to stand, limping after the others who were leaving him in their rush to get to safety themselves. The trembling under her feet was growing stronger but she couldn't leave someone behind.

She ran back, pulling an arm of the boy over shoulders and setting up after the others who were some distance away already. Behind her she could hear more cries of confusing and please for aid, others who had perhaps fallen or were nursing sprains or other injuries, but she couldn't slow down to help anyone else. Putting the thought that she was abandoning fellow cadets out of her mind she focused only on trudging up the mountain to the safe area, half carrying the injured cadet who was whimpering every time they put their right foot down.

"Look, nearly there. You can see the posts." She breathed, nodding up the incline to where one of the posts marking the safe areas was just visible, a steep wall where the path doubled back on itself as it wound further into the mountains protecting the area from any land slips. Putting on a spurt of speed and ignoring the cry of her muscles, as well as the thundering sound of the approaching avalanche, Lauren began to see the others, sitting down or resting their hands on knees, panting from their sudden run back up the mountain.

Then something hard cracked against the side of her head and sent her reeling, pulling the cadet she was aiding with her. A white and red mist of snow and blood spread across her vision before that went blank, pain searing through her skull and drowning out all sound with just a high pitched whine taking its place. She felt herself stumble a few steps before falling into the snow, the world feeling as if it were spinning around her although she couldn't see anything, the pain blanking out everything but her adrenaline too high to let her lose consciousness.

Blood gushed from the gash across the side of her head, above the ear, flooding down her face and covering her left eye before pooling into the snow and turning it red in a halo underneath her head. Subconsciously a part of her acknowledged that a head wound would always bleed heavily but she was in no state to evaluate the seriousness of her injury. If the stone that had struck her had not been covered in snow from its brief tumble down, dislodged by the mountain shuddering from the avalanche's advance, then she would have been killed instantly.

She felt numb all over with the contrast of the warmth of her blood on the left of face against cold of the snow on the right strangely acute. She could feel the approach of the avalanche, though, through the rumbling in the mountain that shuddered through her body which refused to obey her. Every time she tried to move the wrong limb juddered, she panicked as her legs flailed uselessly when she tried to push herself up on her arms, unable to even crawl up the mountain to safety.

Just as she began to give up hope she felt strong arms grab her, pulling her up the slope rapidly just as the thundering shudder of the avalanche reached a crescendo. Whoever her rescuer was propped her up against the mountain face. Her vision was beginning to return but it was blurry, she was barely able to make out individuals let alone faces or features that would identify the people around her. She still couldn't hear, the whining sound still blocking her ears and the pain was numbing her entire mind and body, barely allowing her to think.

"My bag... poultice... bandages...." She whispered, unable to hear her own voice but sure it was inaudible over whatever noise the avalanche was making, her head rolling from side to side as if her neck couldn't sustain its weight any longer. "Press hard... stop bleeding...." She was reciting instructions drilled into her memory years before, not consciously able to structure her thoughts helpfully. Before long her eyes rolled back into her head which lolled to the side, threatening to tip her over if not for the weight of her bag holding her in place. The adrenaline levels in her body had levelled off and unconsciousness took her into its black abyss.

---

For the most part, an avalanche wasn't something that Gabriel had worried about. Not because he didn't fear it, but rather because it wasn't the biggest issue on his mind. It was the titans. As resolved as he was to defend the wall, or so he told himself, the titans were something he feared immensely. He continued to think of the nightmare that plagued his dreams the night prior, like it was some kind of parasite that burrowed deeply through his thoughts. He looked over to Tanner, his heart beginning to slow down for once. Tanner had a soothing presence to Gabriel, causing the boy to slow down a bit and to walk close to the smaller boy. He smiled down gently at the boy, stealthily reaching for a hand underneath his cloak. Even if it was as cold as ever outside, their hands seemed to warm up quickly. Gabriel wasn't sure if it was because of himself or Tanner, but it didn't matter much to him. What seemed hilarious to Gabriel however was the difference in their hand size. While Gabriel was a giant, Tanner seemed so small and fragile. It was an adorable thing to him, but he decided to keep that to himself, not wanting to grab any unwanted attention from any of the others. His fingers slowly slid in between the gaps of Tanner's and gave his hand a gentle squeeze.

The trip down was relatively peaceful, aside from the shouts of others giving orders, or the occasional fall onto the ground. Gabriel was beginning to feel at ease; that was until the guides began to shout something that sent his heart sinking. An avalanche was not something Gabriel had worried about...until now. He looked up, spotting the rushing wall of white that slowly became worse and worse through every second it descended upon them. Looking down at Tanner, he picked the small boy up, heaving him up onto his back, and ran down towards the safe zone as quickly as he could. Gabriel wasn't particularly fast, but he made up for it with his strength as he plowed through the snow with little effort. He looked around, as if trying to spot any familiar face, but all that he could see were fleeing soldiers coming from all directions. "Damn it....damn it! Stay calm Gabriel..."

The feeling of dread began to creep up his spine as he descended even faster. The sound of the avalanche charging towards them only helped to increase Gabriel's heart rate as he looked upon the safe zone with eager eyes. Noticing a random soldier fall onto the ground, Gabriel placed Tanner a bit ahead of him and gave him a gentle push, as if trying to get him to move towards the safe zone without him. The courage within Gabriel surfaced as he trudged even deeper into the snow, grabbing the unknown soldier out from the snow with a strong grip onto their coat, and yanked them out from underneath. "Come on! You're a soldier! Move!" He yelled out, helping them to their feet, and started his way towards Tanner, his eyes glued to the small, blonde figure. Keep moving...don't stop...if you stop, you're dead. You can't protect them. Wait...them? Is Reese safe? Is Olivia safe!? Damn it, I should have checked! There was no time to think...only to act. He pushed forward, looking around him as he tried to spot his companions.

Looking upwards, Tanner smiled at Gabriel once the giant approached him. Having grown close, both emotionally and now physically, Tanner didn't mind being with Gabriel, the former appreciating his friend's presence. However, what stood out as a surprise was the sudden hand holding as Gabriel entwined his hand with Tanner's. The entwining of their fingers led Tanner to look away, hiding underneath his hood as he tried to hide an obvious blush. Hand holding was a step further in their relationship, and while it was embarrassing, Tanner was growing to like such moments with Gabriel.

The trip continued to be as it was until the sudden shouting from the guides leading the cadets down the mountain. They were shouting to hurry as the ground rumbled, but before Tanner was allowed to take another step, he was suddenly swooshed from his feet and heaved over Gabriel like a light feather. Looking to his side, Tanner noticed the cause of the rumbling as the avalanche continued to sprint down the mountain towards the trekking cadets and soldiers. Gulping, Tanner was initially calmed by Gabriel from panicking, yet there was still a sense of urgency that had befell both, if not all, of the cadets.

Eventually, Gabriel set Tanner back on his own two feet as he went to help a cadet fall. Gabriel began to give Tanner orders to keep running down to the rest zone, but Tanner refused to flee in the face of danger while Gabriel fought on to protect those still trying to flee. "No!" Tanner exclaimed, standing and marching by Gabriel's side in refusal to see him hurt while he was safe. Raising his hands to his face, Tanner called out to those that were in their group. "Olivia! Reese! Where are you!? Is anyone hurt!?" Tanner hollered into the air in search of anyone still struggling to run. With luck, perhaps all of them would end up alive and okay.

---

Connor had, thankfully, been able to get up and had been a good sport about Jade's sudden anger. It usually made others mad at her, or just simply drove them away, but Connor kept everything in good spirits as he cracked a joke and thanked Jade. She watched him walk off, a bit of worry on her face as she wondered if he'd get better anytime soon. She turned back to Mora and nodded, finally answering her questions after leaving her in silence. "He'll be fine. A pain in the ass on our way down, but fine nonetheless. Why don't you go find Lauren? I'm sure she'd be happy to see you." Her voice came out with irritation as she readjusted her the gear on her back and moving forward, past Mora.

As the girl walked on, hoping the Mora kept up since they were all heading the same way, Jade noticed that there was an unease amongst the guides. Something in the air felt wrong, but what was it? The young girl looked around the landscape, a frown tugging at the corners of her slightly pouted lips. It was a face she made every time she contemplated something. Her parents used to make fun of her for making it but she couldn't help it. She began to feel her emotions stir up inside of her but couldn't dwell on them much due to the sudden yelling that erupted from the people around her. Her eyes widened with panic as she realized that Mora had kept walking and she was left a bit behind as the ground shook with tremendous power. "Mora?!" Jade's head whipped around as she went into a full fledged panic attack, her ears picking up on the sound of the avalanche that was coming towards them. She had never heard of such things up until she had hiked up the mountains, much less seen one in person. The small girl took a good look up towards the source of the sound and nearly screamed in fear as she took in the monstrosity. Her feet began to move before her brain could even think of running, which she was not complaining about.

As Jade ran towards the safety zones, she continued to scream for Mora or Lauren, both not answering her calls. "Fuck, fuck fuck," was all she could say under her breath as she tried not to get caught in the snow. "Sano!" Once again her body ahead of her brain, Jade had spotted the young man looking up at the avalanche and shouted towards him so he could start moving. She managed to get to him and grabbed his hand, yanking him along with her, not caring if he didn't like it. "Come on, we have to get to those safe spots they were talking about!" Jade's voice was frantic as she looked at the young man who showed little to no fear. If she were in a less life threatening situation, she would've stopped to tell him what a weirdo he was, but at the moment she just wanted to stay alive.

The two were now at a full blown sprint, with Jade leading the way as she held on to Sano's hand with a vice grip. 'Crap, where's Connor?!'

Her green eyes darted from side to side as she tried to find him in the crowd but failed to do so. "Mora?! Lauren?!" By now, Jade's calls were broken as her voice began to sound like she was going to cry. "Mo-," her shout was cut off by a cry of pain as she fell through a deeper patch of snow and felt her ankle twist in an unnatural way. She could now feel her a vice grip on her wrist as Sano kept the girl from falling any further. "My ankle! Something happened to my ankle!"

Anger. It burned her through the girl as though she had swallowed the sun as she watched Jade's small frame begin to slip into the distance before her. How dare she?! Mora's ego fumed, Jade had no idea what she had been dealing with. She had no idea about how this very morning Mora had felt her heart drop into the very pit of her stomach at the thought of losing Lauren. Jade wasn't there when she had to listen to Lauren's self loathing bubbled to the surface. The fight that they both had overlooked these past few years. Mora tucked her chin into her chest, her anger burned bright inside her but if she was so angry. Then where did these tears come from?

Her eyes stung as the frozen landscape swam before her. She wanted to be angry with Jade for snubbing her. For the pain she felt when the girl brushed her off. Mora wanted to yelled, she wanted to fight and she wanted Jade to see. To see that they both had failed. That she had failed. Mora's shoulders slumped as she let out a staggering sigh. The fire that brimmed within her has started to snuff out as guilt quickly filled its place.

"Hey, Connor, make sure you stay near a guide. Okay?"

She swept her gaze over him once more before taking off after Jade. Mora didn't want to think about it anymore. Lauren's brightness this morning nor Jade's resentment towards her. She just wanted to make it down the mountain and get things back to normal. Squashing down her troublesome thoughts the girl focused on picking her way down the slope with careful steps. The snow swirled around her boots with each fresh step. The soft powder glistening back at her as if all was right and pure but her feelings didn't reflect in the sun. Inside, Mora was a mess. Despite how many times she tried to shift her worrisome memories they clawed and tore at her mind. Pulling her attention away from the subtle unease in the air.

Consumed in her own mind she had missed what the shouting was about. "Mora!" Her name tore her from herself as Jade's panic laden voice brought her to the chaos that had begun to erupt around them. "Jade?!" She whipped her head around, searching for her friend as an icy mist rose around her legs. "Lauren?! Connor!" Mora cried out before spotting Jade a few feet back scrambling along the snow with Sano in tow.

The ground beneath her had begun to tremble as a roar slowly filled her ears. Dread choked the scream from her throat. Her eyes wide with terror as the white mass barreled down at the cadets. She didn't realize she was running until a few moments later, tearing her eyes away from the horror that was about to rain down on them. We're going to die. A voice whispered in the back of her mind but her body paid no mind. Her fear fueling her frantic steps as she raced towards Jade and Sano.

She struggled against the shifting snow as it begged to drag her down below. A voice inside her begging her to lay down and accept her fate. No. She cried back as a scream caught her attention. Mora had been so focused on making it back to the safe zone she had almost ran straight past Sano and Jade. The small girl clinging to her friend as pain shot across her face.

Mora steeled herself, forcing the roar of the avalanche from her mind, as she turned and made her way towards them. "Jade!" Mora tried to yell over the noise, her hands seizing the fallen cadet. Looking over at Sano she tried to convey her intent with a look alone as she yanked the girl free. Time wasn't on their side, her eyes darted around her wildly. She could make out the faint shapes of her troop making their way to the safe zone and sent up a silent prayer to the Gods above that they could make it in time.

"Lets go!"

Mora barked back at Sano, shifting most of Jade's weight against her as she started to half drag the girl to safety. There was no way she was going to let her down. No one would die on her watch. Not again. She kept a slow count of time rolling in her head as each breath stung a little deeper as the icy mist rose ever further.

Separated by a torrent of snow carrying wreckage and all manner of rubble down the mountain, the two groups of cadets stared dumbstruck as their path was destroyed before them. Both teams trapped on separate ledges, unsure of the others' safety, with only the calming presence of the mountain guides and veteran soldiers keeping them under control, feared for their missing comrades but could do nothing but watch. Several injured, mostly sprained ankles with the occasionally more series injury from dislodged boulders and rocks falling upon them during their escape, were being cared for roughly on each ledge but there was little that could be done in such cold temperatures.

"Looks like we go down the hard way."

The guides and soldiers began to unload their packs, revealing a multitude of hooks, ice picks, ropes and small hammers, and laid them out carefully to check they had everything that they needed. Once properly collected they hammered a hook a few feet away from the ledge and hooked some rope through a loop atop the hook before tying it off tightly while the other end was wrapped around one of the experienced guides. Without explaining to the cadets, the guide climbed off the sheer face of the rest area and then, with two of the other guides feeding rope slowly to him, abseiled down the mountain face until he was at the next flat area.

Preparations were made and the cadets were lined up and shown what to do, with several guides at both the bottom and the top of the sheer drop to help them down quickly but safely. The slab from the avalanche shifted constantly as debris moved and the sun's rays continued to melt some of the snow, making any attempt to walk on it completely unsafe. Some of the cadets, of course, protested at leaving their fellows behind but their complaints were quickly cut off by the veterans.

"Can't walk on that 'til we've got you down to the base camp. 'Sides, no idea how many of you are missing 'til we meet up with the other group."

Both groups had spotted flares from the other, sent up to show that some, at least, had made it to each of the refuge points. The injured came last, secured with rope around their midriff, up under their arms around their shoulders and around their thighs to create a rough harness. They were lowered slowly with guides down below making adjustments to where they held the bottom of the rope so that they crashed against the mountain face any obstacles as little as possible.

The going was slow, with only three at a time ever able to scale down at any single moment and with the guides up top having to then scale down behind the others, with little assistance available, to join them before they could proceed to climb down the next stretch. Between the groups the avalanche had crashed down several levels but the guides were reluctant to use the path below it at all, even where it hadn't been affected, in case something caused the remaining wreckage to slip down.

As a result they carried on with the measured pace well into the evening, despite their early start. Despite the encroaching night, the sun becoming less and less visible through the trees increasingly numerous the further they descended, the cold lessened with the reduced altitude. Soon there was no snow, just sparse grass and rock which made the going easier and at last the guides relented and let the cadets follow the normal path down.

The sun had fully dropped below the horizon by the time the first of them tramped into camp, exhausted and overheating from the snowgear they all wore. Directed to tents, able to sleep two, already set up for them they collapsed. Soup and bread was brought to them and the usually rough and terse staff were more accommodating, although still in little mood to chat. Over a dozen injured, the properly injured, were seen to by medics before being returned to their assigned tents. As soon as the cadets were seen to, all of the guides and veterans left to begin their search of the mountain wearing grim expressions and with little hope in their eyes.

It quickly came apparent, however, that there were thirty fewer cadets than had set off up the mountain the previous day.

He, for once in his time being in the Cadets, smiled back at Olivia, now finally appreciating to the fullest of her effort to make him feel comfortable and all. Despite all he felt about how she'd drifted away from him, he knew she was still the same girl that he liked more than any other cadet, if not the only one at this point. But alas, he knew his efforts to express such an opinion on her would falter quickly. Besides all of this, she was definitely the one person he fully felt comfortable talking to. The rest of the group seemed too distant of a community for Grant to ever hope of including himself within. He looked back forward when she did, holding onto his rucksack containing the necessary expeditionary gear.

"I'll...make sure we can talk about it. We'll need to sit down sometime soon and...well...I'll explain everything. We can catch up possibly over a disgusting issue of liquid the military give us?" He beamed slightly, with the first joke in a while. Sometimes, Olivia was able to crack the smallest bits of his real personality out. His humour would be spilt every now and then by her, making him act the way she met him, excluding the bit where he gave her a horse. Those were the memories he cherished.

But his smile was interrupted by an echo of trees tilting, soldiers shouting and veterans beginning to panic. Before he could make sense of it all, he heard Olivia's warning, telling him to run for his life. Hesitating at first, he turned around to see what from, gaining her a head start. Behind them, a tidal wave of snow and debris brought with it began to tip down the faces of the mountain towards him. His face grew into a shriek of panic as he turned, picking up the pace to make sure Olivia wouldn't slow down for him. Once she was sure he was following, he tried to pick up his pace, but her body size allowed her to gain quicker momentum, slightly leaving him behind. But it didn't matter, she was in a more safer situation than he was, which was all that mattered right now.

Luckily for himself, he managed to only just outrun the snow, only having the avalanche cover his shins in snow. It was a close call, and one that made for Grant bursting into a fit of panting for air from the exhilaration and panic he had gone through in such a short space of time. If that giant of a wave was enough to get his blood pumping, he quickly wondered what pitting himself up against a Titan would do. He'd almost forgotten the Titans existed during his long stay at the Cadet training camps. It was almost unbelievable that they were training to fight them. But his smile of escaping the snow faded as soon as he saw the casualties...

Time passed, and eventually Grant returned to the camp, dragging an unknown Cadet with him to one of the many medic tents that were now set up at the base-camp. There weren't enough hands that were physically able to bring the injured down, so many had to manage with hoisting individuals on their own. It was a boy, a year or so younger than he was. It was upsetting seeing how weak he seemed from what was supposed to be a trek down the mountain. Eventually, he reached the professional, setting him down onto a makeshift padding area for her to begin the treatment process.

"Thank you. You've brought a few down today, you should rest." The male medic gave him a thankful nod, with a weak smile to show his appreciation for Grant's dedication. He'd been one of the last cadets to officially arrive, due to his volunteering for helping a few of the soldiers called to the scene.

"I should go help more...there's no rest until they are all sav-" The medic cut him over once again with his own voice.

"You can't. Military Police are being called here too. They might mount the fifth rescue party back up the mountain tonight, along with the soldiers from the Stationary Guard. You should really get sleep. Besides, we need healthy cadets. We're down to about thirty percent of the cadets who went up the mountain initially."

The words struck Grant heavily, as he stumbled back, nodding hesitantly. He wandered around the camp, the final words of the medic sticking to his mind like a deep blade once more. It was agonising to listen to. Once again, he went around, looking for any tent he was designated to sit in. From there, he went inside, not knowing at all who'd be the one to share his tent with him. But for now, he was in it alone, even after helping bringing equipment and the one cadet down the mountain during the recovery process. It was tiring, but necessary.

And from here, he sat and rolled his knees up into his arms. He buried his head into the warmth of his knees and sighed heavily. The news of such casualties began to stick deep into his mind. What was he supposed to do now? It tormented him, as he began to allow a single tear drip from his eye, followed by several more. For the first time since he arrived...He started to cry.