They had managed to limp over to the safe haven with Sano bringing up the rear. The torrent of ice and snow barreled past; deafening Mora's cries as she hugged Jade closer to her. Panic drummed beneath her skin as she reached with her free hand and pulled Sano to them. Mora didn't know the cadet, at least not well, but it felt to bring him near. As if their close proximity somehow increased their chances of survival.

Around them other cadets had done similar; clinging to their partners, their friends and even some of the older soldiers- it seemed none was immune from the fear.

As the world around them began to settle; the cadets slowly and wearily broke apart. Even Mora tentatively released her grip on the boy as she took a look around. Without hesitation the guides began to rush hurriedly around, pulling heavy equipment from their packs as others worked to reassure and group the frightened cadets.

"I'm going to need to move her over here." An older woman spoke as she approached the trio. Instinctively, Mora tightened her grip around Jade's waist and shot the woman an icy stare. "We don't have time for this cadet!" The woman admonished Mora, "We need to get you down, now. The wounded will be last." She didn't want for Mora to react as strong fingers pried her small frame from her grip.

Anger swirled as she watched the back of the woman help Jade over to a small group of injured. She knew she was right but that didn't mean she had to like it. Looking back at Sano, Mora blinked away angry tears, "Come on. Let's get out of here."

The guides where quick, their fingers moved with skilled depth as they secured each cadet. Mora's mind was fragmented- split between her friends. She hadn't seen Lauren, not since the beginning of the hike, and now she was being forced to leave Jade behind. A heavy weight settled in the pit of her stomach as anxiety worked its way into her heart.

They gave her a moment to steel her resolve before they and start to lower her down and past the wreckage. Mora clinging to the rope as she shut out of the world around her. Heights didn't bother her. Death didn't scare her. The shed thought of her friends suffering, only that seemed to unnerve her. As her boots hit solid ground there were hands all over her in a flash. Pulling her out of her harness- rushing as the sun rolled across the sky.

Everywhere she looked Mora sought out familiar faces. Some looked so close she had to stop herself from flinging herself at what felt like a complete stranger. She let herself be herded into a tent, keeping her arms wrapped tight around her abdomen as Mora tried to ignore the open aired chat about casualties. There was no escaping it though. Even as she had moved to the back corner she could hear every word ring. Other cadets speaking in panicked voices as they equally sought friends; some even breaking down into a fit of tears. Be they they tears of joy or anguish- Mora couldn't tell. The sun had already started to set by time they had gotten to her. Now the guides had only the night sky and lamps as they led the rest of the stranded cadets to safety.

They're Ok. They have to be. Her mind comforted her, the guides would get Jade down and into the hands of the medics. She was sure that's where Lauren would be, putting her skills to use. There was no other option at least none that she'd let her mind fathom.

The morning after the cadets' narrow escape from the avalanche brought little comfort to the bleary trainees. It had not been a cold night and there were no tens large enough to safely manoeuvre the injured into without aggravating their wounds so they had instead had to rest under nothing but the starry sky. Bedrolls had been laid out and they had been arranged around a large fire, more than enough to keep them warm, with medics working through the night and tending to those whom needed it. Testament to their skills, not another life was lost although many of the more seriously wounded did not wake and there were many cries of pain and sobbing to haunt those still awak and listening from their tents.

Barely after daybreak did half a dozen of the veterans depart to the nearest town in search of transport; they had more than enough steeds for all the cadets, many horses having carried trainees to the mountain would be returning riderless, but many of the injured would be unable to sit safely in a saddle for the long return journey and so wagons would be required. Any cadets emerging early from their tents would have seen the first shift of guides returning from the mountain after a long night, shoulders drooped from lack of success and eyes hooded from going a whole day and night without any rest.

As soon as wagons had been acquired and the injured transferred from the ground and into them, the cadets were ordered to break camp and pack up their tents. Within the hour they were saddled up and riding with the early morning sun warming them, back South to the training camp, many with a defeated look haunting their eyes and bowing their shoulders.

---

"All in! The hell're you waiting for - I SAID ALL IN!"

Schulz had disappeared since they returned from the mountain, a calmer but no less intimidating instructor taking over for the time being. The staff, too, had changed their attitude and, while not being accommodating, were no longer actively making life hard for the cadets. Most of the time. The last week they had been running, recapping hand to hand combat and perfecting sitting in a harness although they had all graduated to actively using ODM Gear before the mountain hike.

A few cadets had been returned to the training camps, filtering in from the North in various states of injury, but no more than a dozen had rejoined their fellows before it was announced that the search had been called off; it was simply too late to save any who had yet to be found. Rumours abounded about the number of frozen corpses found in the debris and found lost, well off the mountain paths on the hike up, but the staff were stone-faced when questioned and flat out refused to give up what little information they had.

"It's time we started evaluating how you kids handle the ODM, the injured'll have to catch up. Follow."

The instructor had the knack for sounding like everything he had to do was a personal slight against him and merely grunted his orders at the cadets, waving at them in a bored fashion and leading them to the forests bordering the camp. Horses waited, ready and saddled, and they were then led through the forest, past a lake and onto a plain with very few clumps of trees before entering another forest. There they were instructed to dismount and the instructor, still atop his horse, pointed back the way they came.

"The goal is simple, get back to the camp without running out of gas as quickly as possible. Those of you paying any attention will notice you only have half filled canisters today. If you run out you have to walk back. In the forest you will find obstacles and Titans, use your own judgement. That's all."

Adding nothing else to the very limited instructions, with a rare spark of amusement in his eyes, he waved in a bored fashion and rode back to camp, leaving the cadets with only a couple of supervisors, all mounted and holding the reins for their horses with amused looks on their faces.

"Time started when he left, by the way."

---

"You've improved enough to go out now. Don't push it though, I'm not clearing it up when you fall and crack your head open again."

Having tracked Lauren's eye movements using a toothpick, now put back between her teeth, the medic in charge of her care stood up and eyed the girl before her critically. The girl hadn't woken up until they had returned to the training camp and even then only to vomit before passing out again. Following that the week had barely improved with Lauren swimming in and out of consciousness, more often out than in, with blinding headaches assailing her during her wakeful periods and a constant sense of nausea dogging her. She barely remembered anything from the times she was awake and had to focus to recognise anyone visiting her, her vision swimming from the intense pain thudding around inside her head at all times.

This last week had seen her improve, her wakeful periods becoming longer and more frequent with some warning before she fainted. Despite this she had been paler than usual and weak throughout, from lack of blood and shock from the injury, and even now looked intensely ill even with a fiery determination to get out of her sickbed burning in her eyes. There were bandages wrapped around her head although the wound had closed up during the first week, the medic not convinced there hadn't been structural damage to her skull and wanting to keep everything tightly in place until she was satisfied that Lauren had fully healed.

"You know you're lucky, kid. If-"

"If the rock hadn't been covered in snow then it'd splattered my brains on the mountainside. I know." She had grown tired of the medic constantly telling her just how lucky her survival had been, she certainly hadn't felt lucky the past two weeks although when she had learned of how many had died on the mountain her thoughts had changed a little.

Standing up slowly, she moved around cautiously, finding her still precarious balance, before nodding to the medic that she was okay and heading for the door with eyes following her every step. Several other cadets were still stuck in the cabin for some time yet, although she had seen Reese allowed to be up and about while on crutches. If she had been in better condition she would have talked to him more, although she had been assured by the medic that she had in fact been checking on him even if she herself couldn't remember it. She'd also been told that others had come to visit her but she only had vague recollections, all of which she could not tell apart from fragments of the dreams and nightmares she'd had alongside.

The feeling of sun and wind on her skin was a blessed relief from the dank and moist smell of sweat and blood in the cabin and she risked a stretch, feeling her tense, but oddly tired muscles, rejoice in being used once again. With a grin to herself she made her way slowly towards the mess hall, hoping to grab some food more substantial than the chicken soup she had been surviving off the last two weeks. No one else was around so even if she couldn't keep it down at least no one else would know.

Emil had considered himself lucky following the training on the mountain slope, in honesty he wasn't sure if he could even consider that training or just some sort of de-facto death sentence for those who weren't even worth being Titan fodder. Either way he had survived, fortunate enough to not find himself buried and suffocating beneath the hard packed snow that came crashing down around them during the avalanche and even more so to step off the slope with nothing more than a shivering body, unlike some of his fellow cadets who hadn't fared so well.

What happened on the mountain didn't matter now though. They had just been led out to the farther of the two forests of giant trees that were situated within the area that was considered their Training Grounds. The ride had been fast. Barely anyone had even talked, 'Their moods must still be down from the mountain...' Emil had thought, slightly guilty that he hadn't really felt any sorrow for those lost on the mountain, they had all signed up for this, but had he died he would have been cursing from the afterlife at those who had forced him into service. Yet he couldn't blame the other cadets, death was foreign to most, even to Emil who had witnessed the destruction of Shiganshina death was nothing near a normal occurrence for him. But he did hope that no one else would wind up biting the dust before their training was over, those that were left were trying hard. They deserved to graduate, to survive long enough to be able to risk their lives doing what so many of them saw as their righteous revenge against the Titans and what Emil saw as nothing more than an exercise in futility. None of the would live long against Titans, it was a far better option to score in the Top Ten and find yourself a cushy job in the Interior far away from the terrifying clutches of the Titans and yet he knew that few would opt for the option, 'Fools.'

Emil had dismounted his horse, taking a slightly harder step to the ground than his fellow cadets thanks to his small stature. He gave the horse a soft pat on the side as he stared on into the forest. It's massive trees looming high over head less than twenty meters away, the forests themselves had to be ancient in order for the trees to become so large and it always filled Emil with awe to lay his eyes upon the forests ever since he first saw one during his run on the first day of training. He moved his attention from the looming forest and listened to Instructor giving them their instructions. Get through the forests and back to the camp without running out of gas, an easy enough proposition, had their canisters been full of gas. Emil stood for a moment as he processed the words, 'That's a joke...? Fuck.' he thought as he gave a tap on his right gas canister, the slightly hollow sound it returned confirming the Instructors words. Looking about he found that most of the cadets were just as surprised as him, although a few seemed to have caught on to the trick and didn't seem necessarily surprised.

"Time started when he left, by the way."

With that Emil took a step forward and broke into a light jog, it wouldn't do to burn himself out in the first few minutes of the test considering the ODM Gears weight. The gear was nearly thirty kilograms, something that Emil always had to keep in mind as he moved about two-dimensionally, but once he was in the air it was different story. The added weight allowed him to build momentum faster and strike harder as it helped to push him along. He found himself entering the shadowed forest and grabbing the handles of the Gear as he did. He aimed a hook for a tree farther ahead of him on his right about a quarter of the way of the giant tree. With a click and a blast of gas the hook was sent for the tree and embedded itself with a satisfying thud as the anchor sank deep into the wood. He jumped into the air with the help of a small blast of gas and began reeling himself in, the whine of the wire pulling him forward filled his ears as the gear had little trouble propelling the rather small boy at speed.

As he shot toward the tree, his body on a path to swing past it, he looked ahead. There were two trees that were about equally distant from one another and would afford him a great chance to gain some height, and in turn more energy that he could muster without the use of his gas. Releasing his grip on the first trigger, Emil would pull the second releasing the hook that was about to pass him on his right. The whine of the wire stopped for a moment, leaving the sound of air rushing past him the only thing filling Emil's head before he lightly eased his grip down on the handle and the sound of gas blowing out behind him jumped to life. His wire whined as the act of the gas mechanism reeled it in.

As he fell for the ground he felt the familiar hit that was the hook seating itself back in the firing mechanism as well as the familiar and welcomed clang that came with it. His hooks ready to fire he swung his legs forward with the help of the gas and brought his body almost parallel to the ground below him. Pulling the first trigger on each handle, Emil was pushed slightly down as both of his hooks shot out in front of him and lodged in the two trees that he had seen earlier. The whine of both wires being reeled in was deafening, and the force on his body as the gear pulled him abruptly up into the air was crushing but it was what they had trained for. As he passed his hooks he hit the second triggers, releasing the hooks and sending him up into the air much like a springboard and without the use of any more gas. He shot up past the midway point on the trees and continued going nearing three quarters of the way up before he swung his arms behind himself and his legs out front to flip himself around from the still mostly parallel orientation to a perpendicular one that was more indicative of forward movement.

Completing the flip Emil shot his left hook forward for a tree that was some twenty meters ahead of him. The hook hit and immediately Emil began to fall like a pendulum as he released the first trigger so that he wouldn't be reeled in. With the help of his gas he completed the first half of the arc with considerable speed before he began the upward half of the path. He let go of the gas handle and released the hook from tree as he flew upwards. Reeling in the hook but not using any gas to move forward, Emil relied on the momentum he had built from the swing to propel him forward at almost the same speed. As he went forward without the help of his gas and without the use of his hooks he inevitably began to fall from the tree tops.

As he fell he aimed a hook for one of the giant trees branches and embedded it in the side of it. He pulled the handle and his gas sprang forth sending him below the branch before the wire went taught and yanked him back up aiming for the tree tops once more. He released the hook and gained height before firing both his hooks into the trees ahead of him to gain back his forward speed. Confident that this would get him far Emil would begin to repeat the process, using as little gas as possible while using the speed he would gain from turning his potential energy into kinetic energy as best he could.

The days had passed onward from where the Mountain incident occurred, one that was very clear no one would let go from their minds. The exercise itself was more than enough to show the harshness, aggression and brutality of the world. But the point of that sometimes slipped by Grant. Originally he would question to himself about the point of toughening up the cadets in the harshest conditions was, especially when the greatest of soldiers could be swiped out of the sky and eaten alive without much time to react. However, even with that thought in his mind, he was able to find the correct answer. It wasn't to prepare them for the titans, it was more likely to prepare them for the harshness of the conflict. Watching friends dying, allies being ripped to shreds, it was all very hard. Grant may not have seen his share of death and destruction in his life, even at Shiganshina, where he was riding a horse fast enough to avoid most of it, but the mountain was a good reminder of what the world was like.

Grant came to learn things like this back on the farm, where his mother, Mateo and himself were all discussing the recent death of a plough-horse. Whilst it was a lie, it was a good lesson in life. The horse was named Edvar, a large brute of a horse that drove the ploughs onward far greater than any other horse could ever do. At the time, Grant hadn't been the most aware of children in the world, but they were all aware of what Grant wanted as a future life, hugely from Mateo's influence. Once Edvar had grown sick, not even old, and passed on towards the life after this one, he questioned his mother and uncle about why the other horses were not faltered in their progress in using the farming equipment, in fact moving better than ever before. Grant never forgot the words of Mateo, as it became a key factor to understanding death and misery: "You aren't like the horses, not yet at least. They understand the true actions of nature, and take ever death into mind as fuel. It drives them forward, as if they were born to watch close ones die. Why else do you think I joined the Scouting Legion? I wanted to be as close to these horses when that time came to my life."

Now, he stood, watching the confused looks of the other cadets as their instructor had left. Looks flashed between them all as they stood dumbfounded as to what they had to do, right up until the other instructors informing them of the time's beginning. Some hesitated, taking the time to go off quickly in an attempt to stay ahead of the time, others played it smart, such as Emil and Grant. Whilst Emil jogged ahead, Grant walked slowly, talking and thinking to himself, staring up at the trees. Amongst the cadets within the ranks, Grant was definitely up there with the best, even if he wasn't THE best. Critical thinking was almost his only secret.

He looked at the trees, making blind estimates on their height, size and the average spacing he could make out between the trees and columns. Grant had to keep his wits around him, knowing that this was never going to be his only obstacle no doubt. Why would the instructors make it easy for them? This was a goal, not a privilege.

"Cadet, you seem slow? Pick up the pace." One of the instructors rode aside him, inspecting his choice of action. It was likely an assessment, so Grant answered honestly.

"Making any sort of mental notes I can. I doubt we'll be getting this course done first try. Why make it that easy?" The instructor smirked, nodding slightly before continuing to trot aside him. Eventually, Grant stopped, looking at the trees again, before placing his left leg rearwards in preparation for running. Before he waited too long, he bounded forward at a not-too fast speed, shooting both hooks outwards to a pair of trees with a sizeable gap between it.

His aim was to find the smallest gaps that were safe, meaning his hooks might be able to catapult him forward with higher momentum and a greater gas reduction. It was daring, sure, but so was enlisting to combat the titans. Whilst this would only get him so far, his remaining plan was to try and use a similar method with flinging himself forward after undoubtedly having to overcome the obstacles around the course.

And as planned, he was flung forward, in the direction he had planned for. He sped towards the gap that was easily clear enough to make through, but also thin enough to follow through with his ideal plan of action. In doing so, he began to move at a good speed, more than he anticipated, as he flew towards the gap. Perfect timing was of the up-most importance, and he followed through with what he had planned. At the right time, at least the one he presumed was the right time, he retracted the hooks back towards him, flinging him a good distance forward. As he started to descend downwards, he tried again, hoping to the walls that he hadn't consumed much gas when starting the process...

Emil was crouched next to a crate full of cannon shells, delicately sorting through the strands of hay that kept the shells from touching as he felt deep into the crate to figure out how deep the shells were stacked. He nodded to himself before writing down a small number "12" on the inventory sheet he had on the clipboard in his hands. He placed the lid back on the crate before kneeling a bit further down to read the crate number and other information from its markings. Around him were the other cadets who had managed to make it to graduation.

Emil quickly moved his eyes over the group from his crouching position by the crate. They'd all grown quite a lot, and to say the least the majority of the younger ones couldn't be considered kids, at least not anymore. He stopped on Lauren, the brown haired girl had grown quite a bit. Gained almost a foot from what he remembered of her, it made him a little jealous in honesty as he had seemed to remain the same height over the three years despite being one of the oldest among the group. But that wasn't all, she was someone with a purpose. Driven by something bigger than herself. What it was though, Emil hadn't quite figured out, and she was one of the better cadets when it came to 3DMG use. His view remained on Lauren for a moment before he noticed her turning her attention to him and he quickly got back to looking at the clipboard in his hands.

Emil slowly looked up, ensuring that Lauren was no longer looking his way, 'Coast seems clear...' he thought to himself as he moved across the group once more. Gabriel seemed to be just as polarizing as he'd always been with Olivia and Reese at his side as they went about their duties. He had some worries for all three of them. From what he knew of them he was pretty sure they had their hearts set on joining the Scouting Legion, and if training had taught him anything it was that they'd either have to get leagues better with their gear or die in the process because there was no way they'd be able to cut it versus anything more than a training titan.

Then there were Tanner and Grant. Grant was a bit more of an enigma than Tanner, but both were about as confusing as they come. Three long years of training side by side with these folks and Emil had learned little about Grant, be it from Emil's own circumstances and being away when the boy did talk to everyone, or from the fact they were both the loners of the group, Emil knew only that he seemed to ahve something he was striving for. Something important to him, or to someone else. Tanner however was a different story, the kid was the closest of any of them to beating Emil with the gear, and he was sure he'd be able to hold his own versus a titan. Which was a relief seeing as he knew for a fact that Tanner was set on joining the Scouts.

'They're all crazy...' Emil thought as he looked out over the land that was once theirs on the Wall Maria side of Wall Rose, 'They all want to go out there and throw their lives away...'.

There was a blinding flash directly in front of him causing Emil to shut his eyes tight, the white flash still visible through his eyelids even with them shut tight. When he opened them after the light had passed he was greeted by the inhuman face of the titan from so many years ago, its face devoid of flesh and it's mouth stuck in an unwavering smile. Gasping for a moment he watched the massive titan raise it's arm and bring it sweeping down on the batteries atop the wall. With no noise but the crashing of the steel tracks and the rubble of the wall as the Colossal Titan brought its arm his way Emil stood and broke into a sprint for the Trost side of the wall, "Seventeen." he'd say to himself as time seemed to move in slow motion. He had seventeen meters to cover with just seconds left before the Colossal titans arm would reach him and send him splattered across the sky. The odds stacked against him and his fellow cadets, Emil reached for his gear handle as he sprinted. Not taking it from its holster he pulled on the gas handle as hard as he could and the noise of the gas burst to life behind him, the jet of the gas at its full output sent Emil roaring forward and it took everything he had to not fall and be pushed by the gas in random directions to then be finished by the Colossal titan.

The gas giving him the extra speed he needed to escape the Colossal's attack, Emil shot awkwardly over the side of Wall Rose, his body spinning as the gas sent him forward uncontrolled. The hiss of the gas behind him ended as he took the few precious moments he couldn't have wasted atop the wall to grab the handles out of their holsters. Spinning his upper body he would now be facing the Wall. He shot his hooks for the wall and they landed and stuck as intended, with another press of the gas handle Emil arrested his fall enough to make the jolt at the end more tolerable and came to a skidding halt along the side of the wall. Then came the debris from above. Emil dropped his legs to lay flat along the wall as the rock and steel showered down from above. After just a few seconds it was all over and Emil was back on his feet against the wall looking up.

He turned to his left to see Lauren slightly farther above him but well within earshot, he looked around for others who had escaped the attack but didn't notice anyone to his right. As he continued to search he'd call out to Lauren, "Anyone else make it?" his voice sounded small, distant, he wasn't sure if it was because of the adrenaline or because he was afraid of what was to come, "What do we do now?!" he yelled again.

It had been five despairing and stressful years since the disaster that was had at Shiganshina. Five years since many citizens of the wall saw their homes brutally crushed by pieces of the shattered wall. Five years since the same people watched helplessly as their friends and family were devoured by the monstrosities that broke through the gap the Colossal Titan had bashed in with his massive body. Five years since a large portion of the Shiganshina survivors were mustered back into the fray, unknown to many that their conscripting was only to lighten the weight on what was left of humanity. Such an atrocity should have frightened Tanner, then a child of fourteen winters, yet the youth refused to budge in the face of adversaries.

And on the day that humanity received a grim reminder, Tanner pressed on--to fight for her own goals, and for others. Discarding the innocence of youth, Tanner took action, braving a chance of a painful death crushed in a Titan's jaws to save a child frozen in fear, terrorized by the gigantic humanoid beast devouring their mother. Ruined walls echoed what Tanner spoke to the young girl, the youth pleading for the child to not look back as Shiganshina had been swept alight with screams of death and panic. "Don't look, don't look..." Tanner begged, her pleas like a wailing alarm to alert the populace. It was not yet the child's turn to experience the horrors of the world they lived in, and Tanner sought to preserve the flames of innocence, lest the remaining coals grow cold.

Fleet-footed, Tanner tested her limits, both physical and mental. Sprinting through the carnage, twisted bodies were scattered throughout the Shiganshina streets--the fresh stench of death nearly capable of forcing Tanner to vomit, yet she refused to buckle in consideration of the child in her arms. Rushing through the massive gate that separated the district from Wall Maria, Tanner struggled against hundreds for a secure place on the boat, as their former neighbors turned against each other. What friendliness they had was dropped for an aggressive hatred, many ready to shove their neighbors off the boats or into the canal so they might have a chance at survival. Taking advantage of the situation, Tanner found a place on the boat while her former neighbors were distracted by their bickering--her last memory of Shiganshina soon being the despair of the same people fleeing from the Armored Titan, floating away with a cradled, crying child towards the inner walls.

Still, life continued to have other plans for Tanner, whose days were no longer solely dedicated to finding the woman haunting her thoughts, but also to comfort a frightful adoptive sister by her bedside. Reality forged a new desire inside the youth--a desire that had been masqueraded far too long as what some might label as a witch hunt. Dedicating her heart to humanity when she came of age, Tanner joined the 104th Training Corps in pursuit of the Survey Corps--those destined to travel beyond the walls. Luck would have it that Tanner would meet some potential friends along the way, as well a difficult relationship that soon turned to love between two lovebirds. Although hardly anyone knew of what secrets Tanner hid, she would soon become inseparable from a young boy by the name of Gabriel, and now, they stood together on their graduation day, waiting for the ceremony to take place at the end of the day...





"And Grant went flying over the net, and in the process he managed to get himself stuck as if it was a spider web!" Tanner exclaimed, regaling tales of their training in the giant tree forest to her friends. It was their last day as cadets, and while they were supposed to be cleaning the cannons high upon Wall Rose, Tanner undoubtedly slacked with the rest of the group from the job they had been given. For three years, they had trained alongside each other in almost a ruthless fashion, and now that their graduation was today, many chose to rest rather than fiddle with more hard work. However, something still was weighing heavily on her mind, and Tanner glanced as Gabriel as the group conversed.

Taking Gabriel gently by the arm, Tanner asked the others for some privacy as she led the boy elsewhere, although not outside shouting distance. "Gabriel," Tanner spoke in a soft voice after looking behind herself to ensure their friends weren't prying. "You know my reasons for wanting to join the Survey Corps, but I'm worried about you. Where will you be going? I don't... wish to be separated from you, dear. If I must change my decision to be with you, then I will." Tanner explained, her soft hands taking Gabriel's own as she gazed into the giant's green irises, waiting for an answer from the one she cherished. They had bonded together like glue since the incident in the mountains, and Tanner would see to the seam so that it may never break.

Still and all, what answer Gabriel might've said was soon drained by the sound of a thud that had the power to shake the wall itself. Forced to raise her arms to shield her eyesight from a blinding flash, when Tanner lowered her limbs, the sunlight that shined down on them had all but disappeared from a looming shadow. The fresh breeze that was blowing had been blocked by a massive hand that looked as if it had no skin. Fear had frozen her thoughts, but her soldier instincts kicked in, pushing Gabriel over the wall before Tanner followed suit. The appearance of the Colossal Titan was now reality, no longer a joke as the higher ups and nobles thought as they enjoyed life deep within the center walls.





Desperately attempting to reach the handles of her maneuvering gear, Tanner was forced to contort her body to avoid falling debris from above. Unconscious soldiers and shattered remnants of both cannon and wall crashed down on those who leaped over the wall and into Trost, forcing them to avoid being caught in the plummeting disaster. Her maneuvering gear hissed away like a snake as Tanner attempted to catch herself by embedding a hook within the wall, now standing at an upwards ninety degree angle and dangling off Wall Rose. Madness had ensued, and Tanner struggled to grasp the situation, but she needed to make sure others had survived like... Gabriel!

"Hello!? Gabriel? Gabriel!" Tanner shouted amid the chaos, desperately trying to locate the one she loved. "Is anyone still out there? Lauren! Reese! Olivia!" Tanner exclaimed, listing off all the names of her friends before the anxious voice of Emil was heard in the distance. The lone boy seemed to be searching for others, and as well questioning what they should do next. His concerns were also Tanner's concerns, who was at a loss of what they could possibly do against a monstrous beast that brough both a district and an entire wall to their knees. They needed a leader to lead them through the struggle they were experiencing, but it was only a matter of who.

---

Gabriel flashed back to the present at the small tugging that he felt at his arms, because it was wrapped around by the very same person; Tanner. Most of his time spent during his time as a Cadet was spent rigorously training and preparing himself both mentally and physically, but as the last moment of their days passed by, he found other thoughts surfacing in his mind aside from his duties. When he first joined, he swore an oath to join the Stationary Guard in order to defend the Walls and protect it's citizens. Something inside of him cried out at him, clinging itself to his brain like a leach that sapped his psyche, as if to make him rethink his position entirely. He wanted to serve in the military - that was certain. As Tanner led him away, Gabriel let a small smile escape his grasp, his mind finally clearing up for once. It was a nice change of pace and allowed him to calm down from the stress that hit him hard. Nonetheless, the thought stayed there, waiting for him to be alone once more and cause him to blank out just like last time.

As Tanner spoke, he stared down into her eyes, returning the affectionate look that she gave him. When she finished speaking, a sudden flash of red sparked across his cheeks, his own eyes widening at her willingness to abandon her decision for him. He stood there like a statue, unable to truly speak. He could only look at her and note the change in her appearance and character. She had grown - far better than he had. He seemed to look almost the exact same, aside from a few inches in height and a sharper look about him, as well as a bit more hair on his face. He took extra care to trim it and make sure it was clean and well-groomed. In all honestly, it looked as if there was hardly any hair on his face. It appeared to look more like stubble than fully grown facial hair. My how they had grown into such fine young men and women. Even with the changes in character, Gabriel still found himself stumped in being great at social interactions. The situation he was in was quite difficult, especially because of who he was talking to.

As he thought of an answer, he looked away, and rubbed his arm nervously. Gathering as much courage as he could, he spoke up. "We should go into the Stat-" Before the boy was even able to reach the halfway mark of his sentence, the quick flash of yellow-gold and a thundering boom overtook the mood and scene. Gabriel, despite all of his planning, was struck with fear. His muscles tightened at the realization of what was going on, but his mind could not catch up. There was no possible way that it was there. The last time they saw it was when Wall Maria was breached. When Shiganshina was destroyed. When his family died. When he was a coward.

Before another thought could strike his thoughts or his body could move on it's own, Tanner pushed him off the side of the Wall. The combination of being forced over of the side, the Wall being attacked once more, and the sound of ensuing panic snapped him out of his terror. Gripping onto the handles of his Maneuver Gear, he fired a hook onto the side of the wall, just as a rock grazed his cheek, causing a small cut to form on his face. The blood that slowly moved down him felt cold, yet numb. Adrenaline took the place of fear as he clutched close to the Wall, holding his head closely to the stone. After a few seconds of secret thought, he looked over to the others and noticed quite a few had survived.

With not much a choice in his eyes, he called out to the others with a surprisingly loud voice. It was one of the only traits about the boy that could not have been guessed about him, considering his personality. "Everyone! We need to fall back and regroup! If Wall Rose falls, then so will Trost! We can't let another Shiganshina occur! Fall back and regroup!" Without another word, Gabriel used his gear to swing back to the small rallying point that was already in the making. In his mind, he knew what had to be done...but his heart did not. As he made his way back to get their first orders and to meet their first great challenge...he noticed something - his hands were shaking uncontrollably. For the first time, a look of annoyance, no, anger plastered his face.

It had been three years of the young girl wanted to kill anything within sight. Fortunately for everyone around her, Jade was able to grow past the anger and need for revenge. She had gone into the training thinking that she would come out with a purpose, but instead she came out wondering if she would ever even get the opportunity to get her hands on a titan. She had continued the rest of her training with little to no interaction after what happened in the mountains. She blamed herself for her injury and for the endangerment of the others. Jade shut everyone out like she was so used to doing. In the training, the young girl had proven herself to be an asset when it came to training with the maneuvering gear. She was quick and agile, easily responding to anything that crossed her path; the only thing that she couldn't quit get was the slicing of the nape. She wasn't strong enough and it infuriated her that someone would always have to help her make the cut deeper.

Still, Jade kept pushing through and eventually showed the instructors that she was a force to be reckoned with, even if she did have that one little flaw. It wasn't until nearly the end of the training that she had put one a slight bit of weight and was able to make a deep enough cut to please the instructors. Unfortunately, that wouldn't be enough to keep her with Lauren and the rest of her team that she had grown to be so fond of, even if she did ignore them most of the time. Mora, Sano, and herself were ordered to join another team due north of the wall. The heart ache she felt was strong, but not strong enough to make her protest against the move. Instead she went willingly with her head hung low, her raven black hair covering her face. About a day's ride away from where they had left, the group had received news that wasn't expected; Jade would have to return to the previous post due to an error. While she felt herself cheer up a bit, all she could do was look longingly at Mora and Sano, whom still had to keep on their journey to the north. Jade felt a strange emotion rise up in herself, but she forced it back down as she swallowed. She didn't want her friends to see her break down, so two quick hugs were given before riding back.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"You'd think they'd have their shit together instead of having me waste my time riding around the world like this," Jade muttered as she neared the wall on her horse, after letting one of her superiors know that she was back. Before deciding to go up, the petite, young woman pulled into the stables nearby, hopping off of her horse and leading it to the water and food. "I'll be back sweet girl." A smile graced Jade's face as she pet the horse once before turning and making her way to the base of the wall. As she reached down to her gear to go up, a flash of light that was all too familiar made her freeze in her spot. Her green eyes widening as she quickly realized what that meant. The screams of the past came back to haunt her as she tried to get her body to respond to her mind.

The debris came before she could clear her mind of the screaming, her hands quickly reaching down and moving fast enough to barely get her out of harms way. Jade's small body jolted as she went flying into the air, away from the debris and onto the wall. She was able to place her feet just right so that she wouldn't go crashing into the wall, but her eyes were elsewhere. Searching through the smoke and dust, she searched for any of her friends that might have been up on top.

"What do we do now?!"

"Emil?!" Jade recognize the young man's deep voice as soon as he had spoken, but she couldn't quite find the source. Once a bit of the dust settled, she was able to pin point him exactly, standing back at the bottom of the wall. Without thinking, Jade shot back down towards him, letting her arms extend and her body practically crash into him as she hugged him. "Oh thank goodness you're alright. Where are the others? Where is Lauren!?" The panic in her voice only became more evident as she mentioned Lauren. She let go of the young man and looked up to where he had been shouting at. There in the distance, just above them, hung Lauren from the wall. Jade's heart skipped several beats before she began shouting at her dear friend, "Lauren!! Lauren come down, fall back!"

It felt strange, almost alienated to Grant that he had finally made it to where he was before. But a farm boy before with an Uncle as an idol, this almost impossible leap from the lowest to what seemed to him like his highest point in life. It was astonishing to himself, as to anyone else it should be. On the insides, his mind would race around as if he were still thirteen, riding on horseback to his amusement and feelings of accomplishment. But here was only the beginning of course, there was still a military branch to select in the upcoming days, and Grant was already set on following in the dangerous footsteps of his Uncle. He wasn't overly eager nor was he blind to the dangers that lurked outside the walls, but if he was going to do his part as a soldier, he might as well do it the only way Mateo knew how to...Jump into the areas that needed to be leapt into, without question, without word and without fear.

Grant was eager to reunite himself after the three years they'd been apart with his idol and fellow family member. It was quite painful being in such a way. Around both Mateo and the now-gone Luca, he used to be jovial and expressive about all his feelings with little fear in his mind. Then Shiganshina happened, Luca died shortly after and Grant became involved in Olivia's life. Olivia had been the greatest influence to confidence he had in life, especially after the trauma of Shiganshina and the separation of his Uncle shortly after. However, as she grew more used to the customs of the Cadets, Grant had established his distance and regretted it from the start. He would talk to Jade occasionally, as ever since his reveal to her about his past deed for her the two had been on well terms. Gabriel and Grant had mixed well together at first, but when he started to talk to Tanner more, once again he fell victim to the distance. Either way, that didn't seem to matter. These people would likely distance themselves from him the first chance they got, and Grant was okay if they were going to do it, even if he wished it wouldn't happen.

The thoughts of distance crossed his mind for a moment, especially when thinking of Mateo once more. It reminded him of someone else to look up to. Mateo was never a talkative person when it came to backstories, but Grant had his fair collection of ones he'd heard from. The one that crossed his mind thus far was Johan...


"But Jutt, why is it that you two are separated now? I used to love it when Uncle Johan would visit us regularly..." The curious Grant trotted beside the rickety carriage that Luca slept within. The two had only just made their rounds to the East, and still had far too much of a way to go for the end to be in sight. Either way, these were the times were talking was valued amongst the two, allowing them to create life lessons and understand the morals of one another. Luca spoke more gibberish than the other two, but that was just his character.

Mateo smiled back at Grant, for once. Usually he was dismissive of Johan Hyral, but this time he seemed to be in a cheerful mood to share the words he had about his elder brother. Maybe he was more comfortable because Grant's father wasn't holding an empty bottle of whatever alcoholic substances he kept hidden pointed right towards him. The relief of finally being away from the abuse that was Thomas. Grant had felt more connected to Johan at a young age that he even considered his surname to be Hyral, despite being a Julius through-and-through like Mateo. Being more of a step-brother for Mateo, he was a wise and loose figure, guiding the two throughout their mistakes on the farm. But when Johan would visit, Mateo would be serving in the Corps most years. And when Mateo visited, Johan was never there.
"Swifty, I can tell you now...We never really got on. I made some mistakes, granted, and had to take some time off of my military life to live with you lot. We still love each other, of course." Mateo chuckled, seeming to keep a casual complexion despite the memories of that dreaded day flooding into his mind left, right and centre. "Sometimes we don't see eye-to-eye, but seeing as he's my superior I'm determined to follow him to death."

The methods of charisma that Mateo presented stunned Grant, constantly. He seemed to be so casual, making such a big deal seem smaller. At the time, of course, Grant knew not of the deadly mission Mateo had gone on, one that had cost him his allies, his reputation, his friends...And nearly his brother. Either way, it wisened up the man, and made him the hidden potential of an elite soldier, locked behind the prison bars of dishonourable discharge. Grant would ask his Uncle if he would ever meet his prized senior once more, and Mateo would always answer in the same way: No man can predict if you will, but one can make it so they do. That's your job to figure out. With that in mind, the two would trot onwards. Grant and Mateo were too close for the future to be kind to them. If Mateo knew that Grant had a future in the Military, he wouldn't of been as much of a friend to him as he was an Uncle. Their connection shone brighter than the accommodations Mateo had locked away in a locket. The inspiration that he showered onto his aspiring nephew made it a deadly weapon, as well as a dangerous tool. It was up to Grant to decide how his advice and wisdom would affect his life, whether he served as a soldier or a civilian. One thing was certain, however. If Grant and Johan were to meet once more, there would not be any family reunions, but hard-cased bitterness and sweetened discipline to ensure that Grant would not compromise the strict leading methods Captain Hyral now used since Mateo and Marissa had compromised their old mission...



Grant listened in to the memory sharing that Tanner and Gabriel had blessed him with. He placed his hands upon his hips, not tangling it with the straps of the gear he wore. He'd just finished cleaning seven cannons, understanding the fact that the Cadets were an excuse for labour in times like these, but who could blame them? The Garrison life inside the walls were not as exciting as some might expect, but they did have their dangers and high responsibilities.

A smile whipped upon the face of Grant once more, striking itself a harsh place on his face from his usual frowned expressions. The stories of him being unable to pass the same ODM location for several months was excruciatingly painful to watch and be in the position of. The grin didn't fade away quickly; in fact a chuckle and giggle leaked from his lips like a river bursting its banks. Words zipped across his mind of how he could react, how he could argue back with other embarrassing stories about the two. The issue he had was that thinking of some were harder than he thought, but he definitely had a few he didn't want to leak just in case any private barriers may have been burst. It was more personal barriers, than any shared ones. Yet, before he had the chance to whip up his witty remark, Tanner had pardoned for privacy, leaving Grant to watch them trudge away.

"I guess I'm lifting your boxes then? Want me to make you some dinner too? How about a warm drink?" The thick grin remained on his smug smile, as for the first time in a while Grant began to bring his humour back into the big picture. Life seemed too good to be true right now, but that was all he needed to feel somewhat happy with life. He wanted to make amends with his broken social life still; the times were tough to exclude himself from most conversations. He was ready, though. He was prepared to put himself back out there, making friends and possibly developing whatever significant partnerships that those his age were already running into. That was a matter of choice and time, and with the way people viewed him as an acquaintance made him feel less obliged to take part in that area of relationships.

Grant's fingers wrapped a tight grip around the handles of rations and general weapon parts as the trench-lines within his fingertips were starting to show once more. The boxes weren't too heavy, but the wooden frame wasn't the most comfortable to hold and carry around from time to time. From there, he took it over to whatever soldiers requested the batches.

Some of the Stationary Guardsmen were friendly with him, thanking him for his assistance with a calm and welcoming grin, others were rather spiteful about the time it may have taken for him. Grant's responses were calm, and a smile remained onto his face for the temporary happiness he was experiencing. This day felt like no other. The breath-taking view atop of the walls were enough to catch his attraction. His mind buzzed of the possible angles and ways in which he could draw the spectacular atmosphere circulating his perimeter. A grin flashed onto his face once more as he placed his hands on his hips, staring out into the open horizon, forgetting the city destroyed ahead of him. Life again seemed blissful. Life again seemed enjoyable. Life again seemed worthwhile. Life again see-

A flash of light cracked his vision, flashing his eyes and concussing his brain into a spiral of silence. The feeling of heat blast against his face, his arms raised up towards face to cover himself from the wind, smoke and heat rushing into his front. He tried to fix his feet down to keep a stable position. And as the wind and heat passed for only what seemed like, the sight he saw felt like an eternity.
He looked outwards, worry struck his emotions as he felt like he was face to face with a behemoth of no comparison. And before he could see it make any move, himself and many other soldiers turned, and began to charge off of the wall. Grant's feet went behind one another, allowing him to quickly stride in the direction opposing the danger. As he leapt off, his gear was quick to act, as his reflexes kicked in,
granting him the opportunity to hook into the wall. In doing so, the impact of what could have been the behemoth he barely saw against the wall shook the foundations of what he clambered onto. The small safety was almost intercepted, when he heard a familiar call.

A call of retreating. Of course, it was Gabriel. A trusted leader, one that Grant sought to work well alongside, found himself calling for the order of regrouping. Gathering their surroundings would be more than advisable, but they needed to be on call to attack.
And that left Grant in a difficult position. As Gabriel leaped from his position, Grant was quick to pursue. Grant's ability with his ODM gear was of a high standard. Though not the best, it was definitely something to contend with, however by the time he realised where they were recruiting to, sudden panic filled his head.

Stumbling on his landing, he only just managed to keep his balance at the angle of landing, quickly approaching Gabriel with as much speed as he could. He saw how far back they were, in a non-advisable space. He turned to his friend, getting closer to make sure he didn't raise any concern from the other arriving cadets and soldiers.

"Gabriel...Should we not...Should we not regroup closer towards the walls? We can't stray too far from the battlefield?
We're a bit too far out, and I imagine the Stationary Guard are going to start focusing whatever they can on looking at whatever condition the Wall is in...We can't let another Shiganshina happen, right?" His tone was almost desperate, but calm in the way he spoke. He didn't want to bring discouragement to the apparent leader, but something had to be said, even if it was just in private.

With no answer to his yelling from Lauren, be it from her shock or her inability to hear him, Emil released his hooks from the wall and pushed his feet off of it hard. Falling from the wall Emil pumped the gas and flipped himself halfway over so that he was falling head first and looking out over Trost, 'This has to be a sick joke.' he thought as he fired his hooks from above himself into the building nearest to him. With a stomach lurching change of orientation, Emil swung between the building and came grinding to a halt. With the simple touch of a trigger, Emil's hooks released and he fell the meter and a half to the ground with a solid thud.

He turned quickly back toward the wall and ran to it. Desperately searching above, hoping that his comrades would come down from the wall, return to form up and receive their orders at the headquarters building. He brought his hands to his mouth, about to yell to those he knew were still above him, "The--"

"Emil?!" The voice came just a moment before Jade slammed into him, her arms gripping him close, trapping him where he stood as his arms shot out to his sides hovering in the air as he was unsure of what to do with her.

Jades questions came quickly, desperately to his ears, "Jade there's more on the..." he began to answer before she pulled himself from him and seemed to turn her gaze by to the wall where she quickly spotted Lauren. Then he heard the voice of Gabriel from somewhere above, the Giant had managed to survive and was doing what he had become known for in training. Taking charge. With Gabriel's call it quickly became evident just how many cadets had survived as here and there one or two cadets would burst forth from the smoke above in and make their way back to the rally point at the headquarters.

"Jade we've got to go..." he'd say from behind Jade as he grabbed her wrist and began to pull her toward the city, "Lauren we're leaving come on!" he yelled over his shoulder to the cadet high on the wall while he pulled out a gear handle with his free hand, "We've got to regroup, the Garrison has a plan for this, they'll know what to do..." he said, trying to reassure Jade as he towed her along although his voice faltered a bit at the end.

The top of Wall Rose shattered into broken pieces, and debris fell to the ground. Unconscious soldiers plummeted to their deaths, and the reality of another Shiganshina happening was not far off. The cadets were fuel to the fire, forced to make a choice they wouldn't regret in a split second. Still, Tanner felt uneasy with the quick decisions that were being made upon the appearance of the Colossal Titan. To regroup as a singular force? It had been an order Tanner could agree with, seeing as their unit was scattered, but to fall back and retreat? To return to their headquarters in order to alert the city? The order to fall back had sooner left a sick notion in her head than it would've taken Tanner and them to return to headquarters.

By the walls, Tanner had more than just Gabriel to care for in Trost! Gabriel could hold his own on the battlefield, but what of the child that thought of Tanner as her big sister? Many possibilities and questions continued to flourish through Tanner's thoughts, yet the idea of fighting instead of retreating had been the most prominent. Using her gear to turn herself in the air, Tanner landed on a roof, her feet sliding across the many sun baked tiles. The cadet fearlessly stared down the giant on the other side of massive wall, and readied to attach a pair of blades to the handles of her gear when...

"Look, look! The flowers! The flowers!"

Tanner blinked as she heard a familiar chanting. The gear in her hands was no longer there, and the cadet was in every day clothing. There was no sign of the Colossal Titan, nor any of Tanner's friends. Just Tanner and Hannah, together in the backyard of the Stuhr's, family friends that had taken them in after the Shiganshina disaster. Confused, Tanner walked over to Hannah, deciding to play along with whatever was happening. "They're very beautiful, Hannah." The cadet said with a smile, kneeling down to her adoptive sister's height.

"I know, I know!" Hannah repeated, leaning closely towards them with wide eyes. As if a light bulb went off, Hannah plucked one from the garden, and went to thread it into Tanner's hair. The girl seemed proud of herself once she was done, returning Tanner's smile with a big grin of her own. "Now me, now me!" Hanna continued to chant, begging Tanner to place a flower in her short, black pig-tailed hair. Obliging Hannah, Tanner plucked another flower, tying it just above the girl's ear.

Tanner opened her mouth to comment on how cute Hannah looked, but what words she wished to speak wouldn't come out. The looming shadow of the Colossal Titan hung over the wall once more, and Tanner blinked to make sure she wasn't seeing hallucinations, yet the giant monstrosity would not disappear. The discrict of Trost around the duo would flicker between a burning and ruined landscape and the peacefulness of before as Tanner gazed upwards at the Colossal Titan. Hannah, too, would flicker between a young girl jumping in happiness to an ice-cold body in Tanner's arms. "What do you want from me!?" Tanner screamed at the Colossal Titan, now fully on her knees and bawling as the fleshy giant stared down as if it was judging the cadet.

When Tanner finally came back to reality, her eyes were red with tears. The sight of the Colossal Titan--the creature that took the lives of her parents--had left Tanner distraught, and now seeing it again meant that it was hungry again to take even more lives Tanner cared for. Some of the cadets were yelling at her, attempting to get Tanner to retreat. Wiping her eyes free of tears, Tanner turned around to continue retreating with the other cadets towards the headquarters. Tanner had pledged her heart and life to humanity, but dying now would be a fool's errand. After all, whether it was Gabriel, Hannah or anyone else, Tanner had flowers worth protecting.

---

The sound of other Cadets catching up to Gabriel sent him in a small panic. He wasn't sure what had made him react in such a way, but he felt a need to defend himself. Of course, when he heard Grant speaking up to him by his side, he calmed down quite a bit, easing his hands on the grips. It was a difficult task to not show his fear, but he somehow managed. He had to. It was his duty as a role model and leadership figure. He looked behind to make sure the others were following and nodded in approval as the Cadets that were closest to him were following the call to regather at Headquarters. Looking back in front of him, he spoke up to Grant with a stern expression on his face. Of course, all of this was just to hide the true fear that he was feeling at that very moment. Every brave thing he did was to cover that weakness in his heart.

"I'd love to assist, Grant. You know I would more than anyone, but we can't. We're only Cadets. If the Garrison needs help, headquarters will assign us to assist them. Let them do their job and we'll do ours." These words escaped Gabriel's mouth with such ease that he seemed to be possessed the spirit of an orderly officer who sought to complete his duties above anything else. Of course, like the earlier actions he had made, this was all to mask his cowardice. In all honesty, Gabriel wanted to be as far away from the attack as possible. He loathed to see another Titan again, especially as it grabbed some poor soul. In fact, during his time in the Trainee Grounds, he had thought of joining the Military Police far before the Stationary Guard. It would not only keep him away from the titans, but give both his brother and himself a decent place to live. Of course, over time, his sentiments changed. To Gabriel, his duty to protect humanity was far more important than any weak-minded thoughts and concerns that surfaced at the reminder of his traumatic experience.

As the others began to close in and add in their words, Reese pointed out the headquarters. Gabriel nodded, making his way towards it as swiftly as he could, and touched down rather clumsily. This short moment of tripping was a likely break in the mascaraed that he veiled over himself. Picking himself up quickly, he immediately entered a salute towards the nearby officer, and reported in as swiftly as he could. "Cadet Gabriel Moreau, reporting and awaiting assignment, ma'am." After the salute, he fell back into the crowd and waited for the others to get done with reporting in to the officer. As Tanner made her way in, Gabriel thought of what to do as he stared at the one girl that had changed his thoughts on the way he perceived society. He waited in silence as she reported in, until she moved back in the crowd, where he approached her.

"Tanner, before we go out on this mission...I want to give you something." The young man reached into his pockets for a small item. Reaching out for Tanner's hand, he curled hers over the object, staring at her with more intensity than had ever been expressed in the past. "This is my family's ring; it was recovered by the Scouts during the Expedition that my father went missing in. I....I know he's....that doesn't matter. I just want you to take this. Please." As he let go of her hand, a sudden drop in his stomach seemed to take place. He felt sick, as if he knew that he was going to die. He had merely accepted the possibility that he would, and yet here he was, feeling as if the world was about to transpire against him. Nonetheless, he gave Tanner a reassuring smile and leaned in, giving her forehead a small peck, before turning to face the officer for assignment. In his heart, there was nothing but a cold feeling of dread that gripped him between it's ghastly claws. Somewhere however, a fire sparked in a small corner of his heart, and it spread to his eyes; the eyes of a warrior.

Landing in a flurry of cloaks and whirring cables, the cadets rushed to take their places amongst the group already forming on the parade ground of HQ. A few senior officers with the insignia of the Wall Garrison emblazoned on the back of their jackets were conversing amongst themselves as more and more soldiers arrived, awaiting the issue of their orders. Veterans were rushing in and out of buildings carrying various supplies with junior officers yelling commands over it all, directing their efforts. As Lauren landed she could not help but feel like it was an evacuation, as if they had given up before even beginning to fight. She pushed her way into the formation and stood at attention as one of the officers broke away from the others who deployed their Gears and shot out of sight, heading off to supervise their men.

"We all know what the appearance of the Colossal Titan means. Trost will be breached, that is not in question!" There were murmurs on unease amongst the soldiers, apparently some had thought they could fight the huge Titan but, as far as Lauren was concerned, it was foolish to attack such a creature without a plan.A huge crash resounded from over their backs, coming from the Wall. Through the ground she could feel vibrations and then distant thuds and screams as rocks and debris crashed into houses. The Wall was breached. All the soldiers, veterans and officers stopped were they doing for a moment, horror plain on every single person's face before orders were shouted again and were obeyed with fresh haste. The man before them continued to drone out their orders.

"The first priority is the evacuation of civilians from Trost to the other side of Wall Rose! The Garrison will hold the outer gate while we veterans will aid in the evacuation and hold the gate leading beyond Rose. Cadets! You will form the middle guard and delay the Titans once they've broken through into Trost. Some of you will remain here at HQ to re-gas the others when the retreat is called."

Teams were formed, Garrison soldiers peeling off into their already assigned groups while junior officers walked amongst the cadets and formed them into teams. Lauren found herself being directed alongside Emil towards three cadets she struggled to recognise, two boys and a girl; all had drawn faces pale with shock and eyes that already spoke of their defeat. Looking around she could see Gabriel and Tanner being grouped with two others she did not know while Jade, Reese and Grant were teamed up with Jay.

She greeted the three cadets but they barely responded, eyes staring at the ground between the feet. For all the difference it would have made, they could have been openly weeping and it would barely have added to the funereal atmosphere heavy upon them. An officer swung back in their direction, heading over with a board in his hand presumably with their orders pinned to it.

"Let's see, you, you're team leader." He pointed at her and proceeded to give them their orders, unwilling to listen to any protest she might have had, and directed them to the position one short of the left flank. "You're unlikely to see much action over there, Titan's'll probably just come straight down the middle. Consider y'self lucky." She glared after the man as he walked away, suspecting his lack of fear or apparent care was because he, like the other veterans, would be farthest from danger. Glancing at Emil, she cursed her lack of leadership qualities but it looked like, between the two of them, they'd have to take charge; the other three were too scared to be of any use.

"Hey, you three! Stop looking like you're dead already." She snapped at them, placing herself right in front of them so that they were forced to start at her as she glared them down. "If you're that worried, he said we'll be far from the action. I aim to get out of this alive so I need you three to pay attention and listen. We're only to slow the Titans down, there's no glory in getting more kills than anyone else and then being eaten so this is how it's going to work. You," she pointed at the youngest looking of the boys, "you're going to be on lookout. Hang back and warn us if any Titans are coming up in our blind spots. If we're focused on the one in front of us we need someone to watch our backs, got it? You two are pairing up. Emil, you're with me. One person in each pair will distract the Titan, keep your distance but make sure you have its attention. The other will take it out from behind. Don't rush in for kills, we're just meant to slow them down but the only we can stop ourselves being swamped is to thin the herd. Just remember your Gear training and don't take stupid risks." It was hardly a stunning speech but she was no leader so what did they expect?

They refilled their gas reserves before heading off to their position, watching as the Titans began to push through the primary defences and stalked into the town itself.

"Tanner Harwell, reporting and awaiting assignment, sir."

Her words were lionhearted, yet the cadet's tone had been coated in a bittersweet melancholic glaze. It was difficult for Tanner to describe her relationship with the Colossal Titan; the massive fleshy beast invoking different feelings each time she thought of it. The cadet felt rage and anger upon her parents' memory being invoked by the Colossal Titan, but on the other hand, Tanner was oddly thankful. The large Titan that stood on the other side of Wall Rose had changed Tanner from a person of mystery to a stouthearted and gallant warrior. The same creature that brought humanity to its knees years ago had made Tanner realize that there was more to life than what she focused on.

And as Tanner moved back into the crowd of cadets, one of those cherished came face-to-face. Gabriel took her hand, wishing to give his beloved something. The taller cadet's eyes stared with stronger than intensity than before, flushing Tanner's face red as Gabriel stared almost deep into her soul. His words were unsettling, as if Gabriel knew his father was most likely dead and that he was likely to die soon as well, but in the end the ring was something of importance he wished to give Tanner--the boy reassuring the girl with a simple smile and forehead peck.

Looking at the ring in her hand, Tanner was unsure of how she felt, but the cadet was certain of one feeling. Love had swept her off her feet, shining bright like the ring that now rested on Tanner's ring finger. "When's the ceremony, Gabriel?" Tanner whispered gently into his ear, standing on her tip toes to reach his height. Almost teasingly, Tanner stealthily placed a kiss on Gabriel's lips, watching him grow flustered as they turned to their superiors. If both or one of them were going to die today, what was the harm in having some fun to remember the other by?

Moments later, their superiors began to talk of the situation at hand. Trost was slated to be breached, and mere seconds after the superior spoke, crashing was heard within the district, as it did when the Colossal Titan appeared in Shiganshina. Everyone had froze, but the haste was quickly renewed, and orders were continued to be given. Tanner took hesitance to the idea of delaying the Titans, where the veterans had the wall to their advantage to maneuver out of the way from the Titans' reach. Tight quarters and city fighting was different than training in a forest, leading to a possible bloodbath of inexperienced recruits. Still, despite being one of the strongest in the Cadet Corps, it wasn't her place to object or question her superior's orders.

Although with Gabriel, Tanner had been placed in a group with two cadets she had little knowledge of."M-Mary Gardner! P-Pleasure to m-make your a-acquaintance!" The girl stammered out as if she was frightened of the future. Placing a fist over her heard, Mary awkwardly saluted while the taller one rolled his eyes, arms crossed with a huff. "Jakob." The cadet spoke, almost staring down Tanner as if he had something to prove. His eyes for filled with unsettling envy, and Tanner tried shrugging away the awkwardness that came from Jakob.

"Tanner, and this is Gabriel." Tanner explained, introducing both of them to the other cadets. Both of them had performed particularly well in certain categories, and Tanner wouldn't had been surprised if either Mary or Jakob knew or heard of them. Turning her attention back to Gabriel, Tanner looked at him not just as her beloved, but as a confident commander, sure of his abilities."Do you have any ideas on how you want to go about this, Gabriel?" Tanner asked, expecting an answer from Gabriel in hopes of formulating a plan before they went into battle. Mary, too, looked up to Gabriel for an answer albeit nervously, yet Jakob appeared as a rabid mutt, ready to lash out at any thoughts or ideas Gabriel might have.

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