Love you always (Levi x Reader x Erwin)

Chapter Seventeen: Dead Man Tell No Tales Part 1

It's been a month since we have discovered Erens titan shifting ability, since then we have been preparing for the 57th expedition outside of the walls. The pressure was high as were the risks. Erwin seemed confident enough in everything though. Like always.

Here we are now, on our horses waiting for the gates to open, any second now we are about to leave the comfort and safety of Calaneth District. We sought to carve a route to Shaganshina, the place believed to hold the Titans' secrets. I was at the front lines with Levi, Erwin, Hanji and the other squad leaders. A month prior, Levi and Erwin had told me that depending on how I preformed this mission that I would be appointed second in command to the special operations squad, earning about the same amount of privileges and authority as Levi. I'm sure you can imagine how pissed Eld was to hear the news.

Erwins horse bucked up, I would never get tired of seeing it. It was so dramatic yet an amazing sight to see. The play of sunlight on his tousled hair mirrored the horse's mane, it was as if nature itself had worked together to create a portrait of untamed grace. His cobalt eyes gleamed like two sapphires, reflecting the vast expanse of the sky. They held a depth that seemed to draw me in. As the sunlight played upon them, a kaleidoscope of colors—azure, cerulean, and hints of stormy gray. It was as if the very essence of the sky had taken home in his gaze.

"It's officially begun. The 57th Recon Mission! Scouts, move out!" 

On Erwins command we set off. The thunderous percussion of our horses' hooves composed a symphony on the earth with each stride. The ground trembled beneath the rhythmic onslaught, the cacophony of hoofbeats echoing like a percussive declaration of our journey's spirited advance.

--------------

We made our way through the first abandoned town, Hanji pointed to her left. "We've got a ten-meter closing in from the left."

Two scouts from the support squad were already in the air heading towards the large titan making sure to avoid it's flailing arms.

"Gah! If I can just get a look at what's in that glorious belly! Never mind, just let the support squad do their jobs!" Hange giggled.

We were all still moving ahead, I looked back every few seconds to see if they had brought it down yet. It looked like one of the scouts made a cut through the nape, but missed the vital point since the large humanoid creature remained standing.

"Forward! Ride for all your worth!" Erwin shouted, making sure to remind everyone to focus solely on the path ahead.

Memories of Gunther talking about the support squad from three days ago came flooding back.

*Flashback*

"They'll only have our backs 'til we're clear of the city ruins. Everything beyond that will be uninterrupted Titan territory. The only thing to fall back on out there is Commander Erwins long-range scouting formation. The special ops squad will be positioned here." We looked down on the map to see where Gunther was pointing.

"So we're basically on our own after that." I chimed in.

Gunther nodded.

**********

"Long range formation. Let's go!" Erwin stuck his right arm out, signaling for majority of the scouts to separate.

Long range scouting formation is a forward-facing semicircle. We'll be positioned relative to one another at equal intervals within view of signal fire on all sides. The idea is to extend our spotting and signal range as far as possible. Erwin had explained to Levi and I. Basically, those in the formation were put into two people groups and spread out into the open area.