Rachel's P.O.V
It takes us roughly an hour, even after exhausting all our resources, to find the supply wagon. The group surrounding the broken-down carrier looks down at the supplies emotionlessly. Mainly Levi, Erwin, and me– the rest of the soldiers look crestfallen, some with slumped shoulders and others with irritated frowns.
"So... while we were running for our lives, half the supplies were somehow lost in the forest." My tone is sour as I glare down at the half-empty wagon. I feel my wings reacting to my emotional state, so I quickly establish a neutral facade to stabilize my anger. I feel another officer slowly shake his head beside me.
"This is ridiculous. How will we survive with half of our regular supplies? We already ration the portions of our food– will we have to cut it down even more?" I sigh and run my hand through my hair, thinking about our current situation.
"Let me just... think about it for a while." I turn and start to walk away, my mind all ready beginning to cloud with worrying thoughts. The gravity restricting my movement to the ground is beginning to feel oppressive, and I feel the overwhelming need to fly away, somewhere private and secluded. As I stretch my wings, about to take off, Armin calls my name.
"Rachel!" I can sense Fable holding him back, and take off into the trees. Dodging around trees, tilting my body and angling my wings gives me something to focus on, keeping my mind clear. I faintly hear Fable's next words;
"Just give her some time alone. She'll think of something."
~~~~
Some time later I land on the ground again near where the soldiers are gathered, still with no plan in mind. The sun set quite a while ago, causing the giant trees to cast even deeper shadows throughout the forest. Fable appears at my side in an instant as we both head toward the small group of Recon Corps members, who huddle close together. I tilt my head.
"Do you have no means to start a fire?" Armin looks up at me.
"Well, we have plenty of materials, we just don't have the equipment to start one." I sigh and kneel down next to Armin, urging for Fable to join the circle. Realizing what I am doing, she says,
"There are about ten people in the group, so you should be fine." Nodding, I stretch out my wings around everyone. I concentrate on forming a done over the soldiers, the white feathers of my wings casting a dim, comforting glow over their complexions. The soldier's expressions tire quickly, making them seen ghostly, and I leave enough space for people to move around but hover my wings close enough for them to receive plenty of heat. Armin and Eren both look at me in gratitude, the latter being a bit embarrassed by having to say 'thank you.' But there is no need– Armin speaks up before he can.
"Thank you, Rachel." I smile kindly at the boy, before settling back on my haunches and relaxing my body. It will be a long night– and I plan to stay comfortable throughout the lasting period of darkness.
As I drift off, my thoughts begin to wander to dark times...
Flashback
"Oh, my~ Do we have a runner?" A little girl struggles in a man's grip, viciously trying to tear her way free of the iron grip that holds her in place. "We can't have that now, can we?" The little girl cries out as a sharp pain tears through her lower left torso, sure to leave a scar in its wake. Silent tears stream down her face as the blurred image of the calm yet dangerous man watches her slowly sink down to the concrete floor.
"... W-why?" It is a question asked constantly by the little girl– but the only response she ever receives is always the same.
"My dear, it's because you are different– special. Don't go running off again~ or the consequences will be much more severe in the future." The man's voice drops as his words adopt a threatening undertone. The girl hugs her knees to her chest in an attempt to disappear– to stop the pain and suffering she undergoes every day as the man leaves the cell, locking the door behind him.
"... O-one day, I will b-break free..." Her voice cracks from the lack of use as she whispers the words to herself, the darkness of the cell she is in only penetrated by a few beams of light. Over time, the dark had become a comforting friend to the little girl, always by her side when she just needs to talk. "... A-and I will do it, someday..."
The darkness whispers its approval.
Flashback
Rachel wakes with a start, her wings reacting instinctively as they flap erratically. Loose dust kicks up in the air, and the girl snaps to her feet in an instant.
"Rachel, Rachel! Calm down, it was only a nightmare!" Rachel looks to her right and sees Fable by her side, none of the Survey Corps members in sight. The girl rubs her face tiredly, clutching her lower abdomen. Fable's eyes soften. "Did you have that nightmare again?" Rachel nods wordlessly before stretching, feeling a bit sore from having to keep her wings raised throughout the night.
"Where'd the others go?" Trying to keep her mind off her dark past time, Rachel voices the question before looking around curiously.
"They went to the edge of the trees to discuss supplies." Fable shrugs her shoulders and says, "Do you want to meet with them? I have some things to do here in the forest." Rachel nods. The two girls embrace with a silent promise to meet again, someday in the future.
"Okay, hopefully I'll see you around again, Fable." Said girl nods before dawning her cloak and disappearing into the forest. Rachel sighs once again and stretches her wings, flapping them a couple times in order to take flight.
Soaring high above the trees, Rachel spots the small group with her enhanced sight, and falls into a nosedive to reach them more quickly. At the very last moment, she spreads her feathery appendages for a soft landing, earning stares from the Recon Corps members. She chuckles at their reactions, thinking of how otherworldly she must look to them. Like the Creatures of Old that I used to read about when I was young... I was so entranced by their beauty.
"You're never going to get used to this, fair warning~" I chime, and Armin smiles whilst shaking his head.
"To be honest, I don't think we will, it's just so amazing–" He is cut off by a scream, and not just any scream– a Titan cry. The group looks around, but Rachel remains rooted to the spot, staring into the depths of the forest in slight fear. Her heart thuds in her chest, leaving her with quickening breaths and a tightening in her throat as her panic grows. She spreads her wings, already preparing for flight when her eyes widen. She finally places the source of her paranoia– it's because she recognizes the shriek.
That scream belongs to Fable.
YOU ARE READING
Flying on Her Wings (Attack on Titan)
FanfictionShe's lived outside the walls all her life. When the humans ventured outside Wall Maria, she protected them, and watched over them to the best of her ability. She saw what happened when the Colossal Titan attacked. The Forest of Giant Tr...
