Female Titan

As soon as they left Karanes District, they made a long-range formation planned by Commander Erwin, where they would communicate through colored smoke signals, in case they needed to rearrange themselves, they could be guided by the location of the smokes.

Lara was on the second front line on the left with Hange and, as they advanced, they took turns to shoot smoke signals in case they encountered any Titans. They could see Erwin from a distance, who, with his own smoke pistol, reoriented the entire group's formation when needed.

The girls didn't encounter many Titans along the way, and luckily, no abnormal. Lara really had to hold back her mother from time to time, as for every Titan the Squad Leader spotted, she wanted to capture it to make her experiments, and Lara argued that on their way back home, she could take one.

She noticed that Hange was constantly looking back, as if searching for something, with a worried expression on her face.

"Mommy?"

"Yes?"

"He's gonna be fine, okay? He's Captain Levi, remember? Humanity's strongest soldier!"

Hange gave her a sad smile.

"You're right, sweetie... You're right."

As Lara didn't know where was the mission's real destination (for it was confidential), she soon realized that the formation was redirecting to the Forest of Giant Trees, and they continued riding there until they definitively entered the forest, joining Erwin and some other soldiers.

As Lara rode through the huge trees, she felt a certain chill. Everything was completely silent, only the quick hooves of the horses could be heard. A cold breeze waved her hair and she sought Hange's eyes.

"Mom?" Lara almost whispered.

"Yes, baby?"

"Can you already tell me what we're doing here?"

Hange stared straight ahead, with a serious look.

"Soon, you'll know."

Lara felt a strange sensation. The whole mission had an air of mystery and when she previously asked Hange or Levi for more details, they changed the subject. But, because they have lived together for so long, Lara had acquired a big level of trust in her parents, no longer bothering them about this matter and just reminding herself that they knew what they were doing.

At least, they were now in a place entirely conducive to the use of ODM gear, in case they had to face a Titan. For a moment, Lara had a flash memory of when she had been in this forest, alone and scared, which made her shiver even more.

Then, when she least expected it, they arrived at a place that left Lara very intrigued. They were in a sort of clearing, with several giant trees surrounding it. On the edge of the clearing, there were many devices that looked like large wooden boxes full of holes. Inside each hole was a large, very pointed spear, held together by ropes. When Lara looked around to see the whole scheme, she understood that it was a big trap. But, what would they capture?

Erwin commanded everyone to put their horses in a more private area and to prepare to position themselves on the big branches of the trees, while some soldiers would stay hidden on the ground to trigger the trap at the proper moment. Hange ordered Lara to climb high onto one of the trees, as her mother would stay on a lower level to help trigger the trap.

But, before climbing up, Lara felt the ground shaking. As if big steps were hitting it very hard.

"Commander!" she exclaimed. "There's something coming!"

At the same moment, all soldiers stayed on alert, because in addition to feeling the ground shaking, they also heard a very high-pitched and irritating noise.

"Someone used the acoustic signal ammo!" said one of the soldiers.

"Quick!" ordered Erwin. "Everyone to your positions, now!"

When Lara was already settled on the top of a big branch, she noticed something.

"What's coming over there?!" a soldier exclaimed.

Hange looked in the direction he was pointing at, and saw a group of soldiers riding toward the trap. As she narrowed her eyes, she realized that the leader of that formation was none other than Levi. She felt her heart beat fast, relieved that he was safe, but soon after, a feeling of horror took over her body as she saw the huge creature approaching from behind 'Levi Squad', who was with Eren.

"What… Is… That?" whispered Lara, her mouth and eyes wide open.

Behind her father's squad, a huge Titan was running fast. But, it was no ordinary Titan, as it had a different appearance from the others, with a female body and blonde hair. The Titan approached them and reached the clearing. As if in slow motion, the Titan's head turned and looked deep into Lara's eyes, who felt her whole body tingle, so strong was the fear she felt at that moment. However, the Female Titan's gaze was one of complete surprise, as if she wasn't expecting to find anyone there. Then, as she stepped into the middle of the clearing, Erwin shouted:

"FIRE!!!"

BOOM!!! BOOM!!! BOOM!!!

Lara covered her eyes and ears at the gigantic explosion of spears that every millisecond trapped the Female Titan's body with full force. When she opened her eyes, she saw the huge creature now completely trapped by the spears and ropes in front of her. It was a terrifying sight, as the Titan seemed to have a frightened look in her eyes and was covering her nape with her hands.

Then, Lara saw Levi approach and land next to Erwin on one of the trees. She watched him talk a little with the Commander, who then pointed to where Hange and Lara were. Relieved, they waved at each other. After only a few seconds, Erwin ordered another attack with the spears, causing everything to explode again and trap the Female Titan even more. Lara noticed that her father had a very serious expression on his face.

Observing the situation around her, she connected the dots in her head.

"This Female Titan..." thought Lara. "It looks a lot like Eren's Titan. If she does have a person inside her nape, that means... Could she have been the one who killed Sawney and Bean? It can't be... In addition to facing enemies outside the Walls, now we have to face enemies among our own?!"

Once more, Erwin commanded them to fire. This time, Hange fired a series of spears right into the Female Titan's buttocks. Lara noticed that her mother had a maniacal look in her eyes, as if she were proud of the trap, which Lara strongly suspected that it was her invention.

Then, like a thunderbolt, Lara watched Mike and Levi fly to the Female Titan's nape, in an attempt to cut off her covering hands. However, when their swords touched the creature, its skin hardened in such a way that the shards of the blades were thrown in all directions.

"What?!" thought Lara. "She can harden her skin to protect herself?! Wherever she wants?! Mom will go crazy over this!"

Lara turned as she heard Erwin call her.

"Yes, Commander?"

"Please, help the others to prepare another round of explosives."

As Lara went down to the ground, she noticed that Levi was on top of the Female Titan's head and seemed to be talking to her with a hateful expression. Lara knew that, if there was one thing her father hated most in the world, it was the Titans, as they were responsible for taking the lives of people important to him.

When she finished loading the spears, Lara jumped in fright. The Female Titan began to scream in such a way that everything around her began to shake, even causing the leaves of the trees to fall. Everyone covered their ears in agony.

Suddenly, a silence fell over the forest.

Slowly, the soldiers began to whisper to each other about what was that horrible scream, and Hange called Lara to come closer to her. Then, loud footsteps were heard, coming from all directions.

It was Titans. And they were close.

"Prepare the explosives now!" shouted Erwin. "Wagon defense squad, intercept them!"

Lara turned toward the sound and widened her eyes.

"Commander!" she shouted. "Three of them managed to get through! They're already here!"

She looked at Levi, who was also looking at her. Without saying a word, Lara just articulated a "Dad!" with her mouth and he immediately got the message. Levi aimed his hooks at two of the Titans and with a single movement, slashed their napes. However, the remaining Titan, who was quite small, ran straight to one of the Female Titan's legs and began to devour her.

"But, what the–?!" exclaimed Hange, perplexed.

When they least expected it, Titans from all sides burst into the clearing, heading for the Female Titan. If Lara hadn't pulled Moblit, who was ahead of her, he would have been crushed by a seven-meter Titan that passed alongside them.

"All soldiers, surround her!" ordered Erwin. "Defend the Female Titan at all costs!"

When Lara was about to attach a hook to a tree, Hange looked at her, very worried. The girl gave her mother a comforting smile and a bold look, as if to say, "Trust me! I can handle it!". Hange smiled and nodded, relieved to know that Lara would do an excellent job.

Hange watched her daughter fly majestically through the air. Indeed, Lara did speak like an adult on certain occasions, but at this moment, she was behaving like one. Her expression showed responsibility and commitment to the cause, and above all, a lot of determination. For a brief second, Hange's eyes met Levi's, who was a few meters in front of her, and smiled at him, as if to say that she was very proud of their girl.

If they weren't in a tragic condition, the scene that was seen in that clearing would be worthy of a beautiful spectacle. All soldiers were moving in perfect sync, slicing the Titans' napes. However, things didn't seem to be getting better and the situation was becoming more and more difficult. Erwin watched it all from a tree branch, eyes wide, as Titan's blood splashed his face.

"It's not worth it!" exclaimed Hange, as she killed a Titan.

Then, they heard Erwin shout:

"Withdraw! Re-deploy the formation! We're getting back to Karanes!"

All soldiers immediately stopped fighting and flew to land on the large branches of some trees, until they kept a safe distance from the Titans, who were now devouring the Female Titan. Lara was panting next to Hange, who had Titan blood evaporating all over her body. Everyone had a look of deep agony and extreme tiredness.

Soon, some of the soldiers shot blue smoke from the pistols, informing everyone that was standing guard outside the Forest of Giant Trees that they would withdraw. Lara watched her father leave to meet his squad, who had stayed with Eren elsewhere in the forest.

The soldiers took their horses and began to ride towards the exit of the forest. Lara was riding alongside Hange, who was looking worriedly at the Commander.

"Erwin," called Hange. "I heard you tell Levi to replenish his gas. Why did you do it? There's no time to lose!"

"The Female Titan was devoured," he replied, looking seriously straight ahead. "But did you see the person INSIDE her being devoured, as well? I did not."

Hange widened her eyes. Lara held her breath.

"Are you saying–" began Hange.

"Yes..." replied Erwin. "If your initial hypothesis is correct, this person who can turn into that Titan can still move a little after regaining human form."

Lara and Hange gazed at each other, perplexed.

"If the said person had equipped themselves with ODM gear in advance," continued Erwin, "that means they're now wearing one of our uniforms."

"So, you mean that..." said Lara, her voice failing, "Basically, the Female Titan is going after my father and his squad right now?!"

Erwin just stared at her and remained silent.

"When the Colossal Titan appeared," he spoke again, "the person on the inside must have been using ODM gear to escape through the steam. Hange, do you think the same thing could've happened here?"

"Well... Based on what we saw when Eren emerged from his Titan, we concluded that this would be impossible, 'cause his equipment was destroyed and his uniform was ruined. Besides, he was so weak he couldn't even stand on his own."

"Then there's only one explanation," said Lara, in such a serious way that Erwin and Hange's eyes widened. "The person who controls the Female Titan can only be someone with a lot of experience."

Hange and Erwin looked at each other, and then, the Commander continued:

"The Female Titan was able to summon the other Titans with her scream. We weren't able to predict such doing, so the operation failed," he then turned to Hange and Lara. "If a Titan's abilities vary according to their experience, then it was a mistake to base our guesses on a complete novice like Eren. If we're to get the better of this enemy, we'll need to think creatively."

Erwin then acquired a very somber expression and turned his face forward.

"If our enemy has a way to maintain their strength, they might also be able to transform into Titan more than once. What I've learned from this battle so far is that if we just focus on making smart moves, we'll never get the best of our enemies. When necessary, we must be willing to take big risks, and we must be prepared to lose everything. Humanity cannot win if we don't change the way we fight."

Suddenly, they heard a terrifying scream coming from the deep of the forest and everyone looked back.

"This voice?" whispered Hange, looking frightened at her daughter. "It's–"

"Eren's!" completed Lara. "In his Titan form!"