Levi Ackerman

"Have you ever seen such a beautiful sight?" Hanji gestured to the surrounding terrain. She's always loved being outside the walls...especially in the winter. Life seemed to run at a more relaxed pace in the frigid months she explained to him, and Levi had to agree that watching the icy flakes tumbling from the sky around his face did bring a certain sense of calm.

If only he wasn't so damned cold.

"It's not bad." He admitted, trying to suppress a shiver.

He was wearing the standard winter Scouting Regiment gear, equipped with its thick, fur-lined material plus a few extra layers he had added to it like a wool scarf, an extra pair of pants, and the warmest gloves he could find. Due to the sub-zero temperatures of their region in the winter, coats weren't just required for scouting missions. You'd be crazy to even leave your home without adequately dressing yourself, and they literally didn't make anything warmer than the coat he currently wore.

Yet, despite his efforts, the tiny pricks of cold seeped in, unabashed, to ghost over his skin.

"But I'm not going to miss it when this expedition is over." He finished.

"Ha! Do you ever miss anything Levi?" Hanji grinned at him from ahead. Her horse trotted alongside Mike's with Levi bringing up the rear on his horse.

Mike took a deep inhale through his nose. "I know I'll miss how clear the air is...you don't come by that often in the city."

"I'm with you there! I wish there was a way to clear the air in the city more….hey you know that makes me think, what if there was a way?" Hanji wondered.

Levi, having no interest in another hypothetical discussion with Hanji, zoned out of their conversation before it went too far, instead choosing to survey the landscape.

Despite the falling snow, or maybe because of it, it really was beautiful out. Thick clumps of snow clung to trees, seemingly defying gravity with how it piled onto branches. Levi had seen blankets of snow before, but with how deeply the snow sat upon every surface, blanket failed to adequately describe it. The flakes melted lightly as they fell onto what little of his face wasn't covered by his scarf and hood. Hoofprints stretched on for miles behind them, tracking how long they'd been riding.

And how long had they been riding anyways?

Levi wasn't certain if the passing seconds were turning into minutes or hours, especially where the sun was nowhere to be found with the great billowing clouds of snow overhead.

The Scouting Legion had departed from Wall Maria and had begun riding east across frozen territory that morning. They'd broken off into formation a while ago, and Levi, Hanji, and Mike had been selected to lead the frontmost part of it. Erwin was keeping everyone fairly close on this expedition and Levi couldn't blame him. He had been in the unfortunate meeting when the choice to go outside the walls was made.

He recalled the tension in the room a few days prior as representatives from the Military Police informed Erwin of the King's and Central Government's decision.

Either funding for the scouts was to be immediately cut, decreasing their already short supplies for future expeditions, or they were to, as the representatives had kindly put it, get off their asses and proceed with their currently canceled winter expedition within a week.

It wasn't much of a choice, and Erwin had fought the point tooth and nail. There wasn't enough time to plan ideal routes, a snowstorm was expected any day in the next week, and, possibly worst of all, 3DMG tended to malfunction and jam in the cold temperatures. It would be a suicide mission.

The Military Police officers had turned a blind eye on Erwin's reasoning stating it wasn't their problem. The scouts either had to make a decision or the government would.

Erwin had, reluctantly, responded that they would depart for the expedition in two days.

And he had only taken 24 of his most experienced soldiers.

It was the smallest excursion Levi had been a part of in all his time with the Scouts.

But he was grateful...titans tended to be drawn to humans like moths to a flame in the winter. He didn't know why, but it was just another reason winter expeditions were dangerous.

"Levi, where did you say the village is?" Mike interrupted his train of thought.

Levi thought for a moment. "Erwin said it was four hours outside of wall Maria. I've never been to it myself, but it's supposedly in decent condition." His voice was muffled by the scarf wrapped around his nose and mouth.

"And strategically right next to a large wooded area!" Hanji added. "Which is why it's an ideal set up for these types of expeditions."

"Have you been there Hanji?" Levi asked, curious.

"I'm glad you asked! I actually conducted a whole experiment there for three weeks!" Hanji excitedly brandished her gloved finger in the air.

"Three weeks?!" Mike turned to her, face reflecting shock. "You mean to tell me you camped outside the walls for three weeks?"

"Sure did!" Hanji chirped back. "And let me tell you it was a most fascinating time!"

"And you survived? I swear the longer I know you the more crazy you become." Mike laughed, spurring his horse on.

"Mike has a point. Did you repel the titans with your smell, or did they stay away from the village because they were scared of you in general? Levi deadpanned.

"Did you know titans actually have an acute sense for clean smells Levi? You should be careful how often you bathe yourself before expeditions. You'll attract swarms of them!" Hanji hummed back.

"Wait, you really tested that?" He asked, eyebrows rising in surprise.

"Hahaha, no not at all! I'm messing with you! We found something a whole lot more awesome!" She raised a fist in front of her face in emphasis.

Levi frowned in Mike's direction, but found him preoccupied by the scientist. "Which was..?" he asks her.

"Titans love potatoes!" She exclaimed, launching into a lengthy explanation about her discovery.

Levi rolled his eyes, but tried to focus on what his friend was saying.

But wait, what was that?

Levi pulled his hood back from his ear.

There it was again...very distant footfalls.

Something was...heading this way...

"Oi, shut your trap for a minute. I think I hear something" Levi said, butting into the middle of Hanji's story.

"I knew you weren't listening." She answered, not even glancing back at him.

"I was, it's just hard to process so much stupid at once."

"Humph, well it doesn't make a difference to me. After all, talking keeps my face warm!" she cheerily clambered."You know, you could try being talkative for once." She reared her reins in, pulling her steed to a stop. Mike and Levi did the same.

"I'm plenty talkative." he retorted, breath puffing out in an icy cloud.

"You say that a lot, but I've never seen it."

"I'm talking right now aren't I?"

"Yeah, but the only reason you spoke up is so that you could tell me to shut it. Also, you asked-"

She was cut off as the noise increased. Through the snowfall, a silhouette took shape on the path behind them.

"Now, who do we have here?" Levi mumbled, eyes narrowing in on the subject.

It formed into the definite outline of a rider on a horse. Levi sent a silent thought of thanks to whatever forces ruled nature that it wasn't a titan. It had been an abnormally long time since they had seen one, but he wasn't exactly complaining.

"Looks like a scout." Mike observed.

They watched as the rider quickly caught up to them and slowed in front of Levi.

"Sir!" The rider said as he slammed his fists into a salut on his chest. It was Gunther who Levi remembered was supposed to be stationed in the inner part of the formation. "Commander demands everyone return to the center of the formation immediately!"

Without another word, Gunther turned and ran off in the direction of the next spot in the formation.

The three of them shared a glance. Levi cleared his throat and brushed a clump of snow off his saddle.

He let out a sigh. "I swear if the Commander is screwing with us again…"

"Relax Levi. Erwin probably thought up some new formation he wants us to switch to." Mike assured him.

"I'll relax when we're home." He stated, but turned his horse to retreat down the path they'd come from.

~AoT~AoT~AoT~AoT~AoT~AoT~AoT~AoT~AoT~AoT~AoT~AoT~AoT~AoT~AoT~AoT~AoT~

"We have a problem." Erwin stated.

Levi glanced over the group and caught Petra's eye. All around them the scouts shifted uncomfortably in their saddles, eyes darting back and forth around the ranks.

"What do you mean a problem?" Hanji demanded.

"Do we have everyone here?" He questioned in response.

"All scouts are accounted for, Sir!" Gunther announced, coming up beside Hanji.

"Very well." Erwin turned his horse to face the gathered group.

He cleared his throat, making sure every eye was focused on him.

"We are roughly a 15 minute ride from our destination, the village and protective forest. However, a few minutes ago Moblit and his trio discovered titan tracks heading directly for it."

"How many tracks?" someone voiced.

"At least a dozen." Erwin's eyes flashed gravely.

The shiver that tore through Levi's body at those words had nothing to do with the cold.

"I believe ourselves to be walking right into their hands, and I can't in good conscience allow us to continue to our original destination without proper numbers, supplies, and a number of other things we don't have.

"I chose you all for this expedition because of your skill, rank, and intelligence on the field. I don't intend for any of us to die on this excursion, and so I propose an alteration to the plan. We change course immediately and flank to the right, coming at the forest from the south-east side. We won't even set foot in the village, if that is indeed where the titans are, it's not worth the risk."

He looked at them intently.

"Again, you all have my direct orders to not die on this mission. Understood?" He thundered.

"SIR!" came the resounding cry.

"Then we move at once! HEAD STRAIGHT FOR THE TREES AND STAY CLOSE!" Erwin barked, spurring his horse into motion.

"STAY SHARP, WE DON'T KNOW WHEN WE'LL RUN INTO-"

Then another cry tore through the ranks like ice. Cold, sharp, and unmistakable.

"TITANS!"

Heyyyyy everyone!

So I just finished most of season three of Attack on Titan and for the second time in my life became unhealthily obsessed with the storyline and Levi Ackerman.

It's just such a good freaking show.

And then I found this story I had written and published, but it sucked so I am re-writing it!

Hope you all enjoy and there will be more soon!

-Gamma