"Dammit Mikasa! Stay still! You'll open up your wounds!" Eren scolds, irritation clear in his tone of voice as he dabs some sterile water onto the deep wounds, causing the oriental girl to writhe in pain. Mikasa felt tears prick her murky black eyes but she refused to let them fall.

That wolf really cut me up badly. I'm sure my hand is fractured. Mikasa contemplates when she had scrutinised her hand earlier. Every time she tried to move it, pain flowed through her nerves like electricity, therefore confirming her suspicions.

That she-wolf, she has quick instincts when it comes to fighting. She's a deadly force to be reckoned with. She must be in the same pain I'm in. If Eren had found out I surrendered the meat to her, he would probably have my head. I have to be more careful when hunting, I don't want to risk being wounded again.

"You shouldn't have fought that wolf Mikasa. A few more hits and you would've been killed! " Eren snaps at Mikasa, dragging the oriental girl out of her thoughts. She weakly glares at her adopted brother, becoming irritated by his tone of voice.

"I would have been fine. I've been in worse situations." Mikasa retorts back, feeling angered by his words, her agitation clear. She clenched her uninjured fist, her heated gaze targeted at the brunette Alpha. She did not appreciate his lecture, nor the attitude of a stubborn male.

"I'm busting my ass out there to find us a decent meal and you growl at me like that. It's not my fault I had a brawl with another wolf. So don't lecture me about events I can't control." She sneers at her brother before standing up, preparing to storm off.

Before she could advance towards her cave, a gentle hand upon her shoulder halts her from walking any further. She turns around to snap at Eren once again, only to be stopped by his vibrant green orbs, mixed emotions dancing in his eyes.

"Listen Mika... I know I've been hard on you for the last few years, but your life is not expendable. Just because you are strong doesn't make you invincible. We all try our hardest to survive, I just want you and Armin to be safe because I care about the both of you very much. You're my family. And I'm sorry I haven't been treating you like it the past few days. It's been difficult for all of us."

Mikasa could detect the genuineness in his tone of voice, causing her to feel regret for snapping at Eren earlier. She pivots to his direction, biting her busted lip softly. "I promise I'll be more careful. I'm sorry for not considering my well being." She murmurs to the Alpha wolf, her gaze lowered to the ground.

Eren pats Mikasa's shoulder gently, catching the ravenette by surprise, his lips curled into a faint, reassuring smile. Mikasa found herself smiling vaguely in return. "It's okay Mika. Go get some rest alright? Hopefully you'll heal up quickly."

Blood. The blood staining her once white dress, staining the floor, staining the walls. Her parent's blood now stained the peaceful abode they once called a home. Now it was a murder scene, a scene Mikasa saw in her young, innocent eyes. She saw something no child should see.

Her were eyes wide with undeniable shock, her body still as a statue. She now saw how cruel, merciless the world could truly be. How foolish she was for believing she would be safe in her parent's embrace. Nobody can escape from death nor fate.

She had ignored the truth of the world before, seeing predators capture their prey, slowly snuffing out the poor victim's life. That was when realisation hit her like a train. In this beautiful, bitter world, it is kill or be killed. The weak have no place in it.

Her parents were at the mercy of the hunters, fighting to protect the precious, fragile life they held so dearly. But it was all for nothing. She was too weak to stand up on her feet to fight back. She was paralysed.

She felt a gun press against her head, pushing her roughly to the ground without the slightest remorse. Her fragile, slim body falls to the wooden floor and she merely lays limp, motionless.

"She's going to make a fortune on the market. Shame her parents put up a fight. These beasts are rare. The more rare, the more expensive." She hears a hunter murmur to his companion. The other man grunts in agreement. "Yeah, good thing she ain't putting up a fight or I would've put her ass down too."

Mikasa closes her eyes, holding back her frightened tears as she curls up slightly. "Don't be afraid... I am with you." She hears a soft, unfamiliar voice echo in her mind, startling her for a short moment. It was a deep, feminine tone, a tone that instantly washed away Mikasa's fears, soothing her thoughts and lulling her into a deep, peaceful sleep.

When Mikasa's eyes open again, she's in a snowy, tranquil environment. She stands up slowly, her eyes scanning over the horizon, snowflakes of all shapes and sizes passing by her vision. The snow she stood in was surprisingly not cold nor uncomfortable. It was rather pleasant on her feet.

"Where am I?" Mikasa whispers to no one in particular as she slowly begins to walk through the white blanket of snow, her blood red scarf blowing in the gentle wind. "You are in a dream my dear Mikasa, but it is very real." The voice says softly, its words clear in Mikasa's mind.

"How do you know my name?" Mikasa asks as she sits upon a smooth rock, looking up at the flaky sky. "I am a part of you, andyou are of me. We have known each other for a long, long time." The gentle voice replies. "I am the wolf that is deep insideyourself, the wolf you have had no knowledge of up until this moment. I don't wish you harm."

Mikasa blinks, dumbfounded by the voice's words. "A wolf? I don't understand." She says loudly, hoping for a reply. Silence suddenly makes its presence known to Mikasa as her question is left unanswered. What happened next however astonished her.

As if out of thin air appeared a pure black wolf, it's coat thick and bushy with a muscular, strong body shape. From the wolf's body language, it did not display aggression or hostility, causing Mikasa to feel relief.

"Mikasa... Come." The wolf beckoned to the oriental girl with her thick paw, sitting in the snow as she waits patiently. "I will notharm you." The wolf reassures Mikasa before standing up, trudging over to the reluctant girl and perching herself in front of Mikasa.

Mikasa carefully crouches down to the wolf's level, looking at her reflection through its midnight black eyes. A sense of déjà vu washes over Mikasa and she blinks in confusion. "Have we done this before?" She asks in a peculiar tone, surprising herself as the wolf nods.

"Many times, but you wouldn't remember our last meeting. We must not waste time. You are in grave danger." The wolf murmurs hurriedly to Mikasa, her tone laced with worry and concern. "What I'm about to do will bring you pain, but it will save you Mikasa. You must trust me when I mean you no intentional harm." Mikasa could only nod as she gnaws on her bottom lip nervously. "What will happen now?"

"The truth will reveal itself."

Mikasa's dry eyes slowly up, her head throbbing, causing her to groan in discomfort. Her heart was pounding almost painfully, blood rushing and pulsing throughout her body. Her veins pumped with adrenaline, new energy, a new power.

"Is this the truth the wolf is speaking? It hurts." Mikasa grits her teeth in pain, desperate for a dose of relief. She clutches her pounding head and curls up in the fetal position, her oblivious kidnappers unaware of her current condition.

"What is the truth!? I can't take this anymore!" Mikasa began to sob quietly, her breathes short and shaky. Her head was filled up with so much pressure that she thought it would explode.

Before her question is answered, an unbearable pain suddenly triggers throughout Mikasa's entire body, startling her kidnappers with an ear piercing scream. She claws at the bloody wooden floor with her sharp nails as she thrashes in pain, a primal instinct filling her up to the core.

"This is who you truly are Mikasa. Do not fight it. It is a part of you."

Before her kidnappers very eyes, she transforms for the first time. Her once lithe, fragile body was now moulding into an adolescent wolf, her fur darker than the darkest of nights. Her eyes were like a dark midnight sky, but fear no longer had a place among them.

Mikasa stands on all fours to her kidnapper's horror as she becomes acquainted with her new body. New tastes, smells and touch overwhelm her senses and she shivers. New energy flows throughout her body like tidal waves and she accepts it without question.

"I'm... No longer that scared little girl anymore."

Mikasa's body was no longer shaking in fear, no longer still as a statue. She was in complete and total control of her current state. The voice in her head had served as her guide, but now she relied upon pure instinct, her most primal of all instincts. She had witnessed her family's brutal murder and she was beyond being upset, beyond mourning. She desired justice, revenge. And she was more than willing to give those monsters their righteous punishment.

Sometimes to rise above monsters, you have to abandon your humanity.

Mikasa lunges for the smaller man, tearing into his throat with her sharp, vicious fangs. "You're all monsters! You need to be put down!" Her knife-like claws dug into his chest deeply, blood seeping out onto his now tattered shirt. It felt thrilling to let go of reason and logic to resort to her most savage, barbaric of ways.

Her pupils dilate with excitement as she rips up her first victim, his crimson red blood tainting her beautiful fur. His blood tasted like rotting fish on her sensitive tongue, causing her to growl in disgust. "Filthy... like all your kind." She hisses to the brutally mauled corpse beneath her paws. She then turns to the shaking, cowardly man in the corner, licking her snout with predatory hunger.

"The big bad wolf is coming to get you."

When Mikasa opens her drowsy eyes again, she quickly realises the thin sheet of sweat upon her skin, the beat of her heart pounding violently against her rib cage as if the organ was trying to escape. Goddamit. She clenches her jaw, holding back the stinging sensations in her eyes. Don't cry dammit... She hisses through clenched teeth, choking back her emotional pain.

As she tries to calm her erratic breathing, a blurry blonde figure enters her vision, large ocean blue orbs filled with concern. She blinks softly to try clearing her temporarily hazy vision. She jumps in slight surprise when her vision clears, not expecting the blonde's presence. Armin?

"Mikasa... are you alright? You were shaking in your sleep." Her blonde companion enquiries, worry laced in his voice as he sits beside her. Her emotionless mask was immediately replacing her forlorn expression before she answers Armin with a mere nod. "I'm alright Armin... Just a bad dream." She answers her blonde friend, her vocabulary of a few words for the moment.

Armin nods softly in understanding whilst placing a comforting hand on the raven's shoulder, trying to ease her troubled mind. He did not question what Mikasa had dreamt of. He could only guess that it was traumatic, even for someone with a cool head like Mikasa. Nothing seems to affect her, but even the strong has a weakness. Perhaps some food will do her good, hopefully this will cheer her up.

Mikasa watches with slight curiosity as she watches Armin start to probe his pockets for the item inside them. Her eyes follow Armin's petite hands as if he was performing a magic trick. Something sweet is in there... The aroma is pleasant. She distinguishes before seeing Armin pull out the mystery item with a successful grin plastered on his lips. "I only found one... But hopefully it'll lift your spirits." Armin says with a meek smile, placing the mystery object in Mikasa's palm.

A strawberry, perfectly ripe without bruises, lay in the raven's hands. It was not spoiled either to her surprise. Mikasa's unfazed gaze softens at the fruit and a soft smile graces her lips. Mamma always grew them for me. She made it into jam just for me. She reminisces before gently picking off the leaves on top of the fruit.

She slowly brings the fruit to her lips before she slowly clamps down on the strawberry's tender flesh with her teeth. Her eyes widen as the taste explodes on her tongue, the sweet juices coating her taste buds. Fuck... this strawberry is the product of perfection. This strawberry is not wild either. It's grown with love and tender care.

Armin could clearly see the pleasure Mikasa took in devouring the strawberry completely from the content moan she elicits from her throat. "I'll make sure to get more for you in the future if I spot more." Armin chuckles lightly in amusement at his friend, pleased to see her in good spirits.

"Please do." Mikasa murmurs in eager agreement as she swallows the chewed up fruit easily, feeling it slide down her throat pleasantly. She licks her slender fingertips gently to lap up any residual sweetness from the strawberry, being cautious not to scratch her tongue with her sharp, long nails.

"Armin... It's sweet that you thought of me. Thank you... I really needed it." Mikasa admits as she continues licking her fingers, not turning her attention to face the cheerful blonde.

I needed that more than ever.

I'm sorry for the long wait :( I had my exams and other school stuff. I hope you enjoy this chapter! 3

Mikasa Ackerbutt