Chapter 19: The Silent Pact

Chapter 19: The Silent Pact

The forest was different at night. The trees whispered with the wind, and the distant cries of unseen creatures echoed through the darkness. Ymir moved carefully, her steps measured. She was being watched.

She could feel it.

Ember floated beside her, his presence flickering like a dim ember against the gloom. "You know, most people would take a different route if they knew wolves were nearby. But not you. You walk straight into their territory."

Ymir didn't respond. Her focus was on the stillness around her. There were no rustling leaves, no snapping twigs. Just silence.

Then—movement.

She turned her head slightly, eyes scanning the shadows between the trees. A shape emerged, then another. Massive forms, their dark fur blending into the night. Their eyes glowed faintly in the moonlight, watching her, waiting.

Ymir stopped. She wasn't afraid, but she knew better than to make a sudden move.

The largest wolf, a massive beast with thick fur and scars across its muzzle, stepped forward. It didn't growl, didn't bare its teeth. It only watched her with intelligent eyes.

And then—she understood.

Not words. Not a voice. But a feeling, an instinct.

Why have you come?

The realization struck her like a thunderclap. She understood them. Not through speech, but through something deeper. An awareness, as if their thoughts bled into hers without sound.

Ember noticed her stiffen. "Something wrong?"

Ymir barely heard him. She focused on the wolves, on the leader.

"I need your help," she said.

The wolves did not react as humans would. No widening of eyes, no sharp intake of breath. But she felt their acknowledgment. Their curiosity.

The leader took another step closer. Help?

Ymir hesitated. How could she explain war, soldiers, danger? Yet, somehow, she knew they already understood. These wolves had lived in the wilds for generations. They knew when invaders came. They had seen men march through these forests before.

"You don't want them here either," she said. "We have a common enemy."

The wolves exchanged glances—quick movements, barely noticeable, but filled with meaning.

The leader stepped closer, until he was just a few feet away. His presence was overwhelming, his sheer size dwarfing her.

You are… like us.

Ymir's breath hitched. "What do you mean?"

The wolf did not answer in words, but the feeling it gave her struck deep. An instinctive understanding passed between them. The connection between beast and human. Not separate, but entwined.

And suddenly, she understood.

The Beast Titan.

She had never considered where that form had come from. The ability to transform into beasts, to understand them. But now it made sense. That power had come from her. From the first. From whatever had changed inside her all those years ago.

She wasn't speaking to the wolves. She was feeling them, and they were feeling her.

Ymir clenched her fists. If this power had always been a part of her, she would use it now.

"You don't want them here," she repeated. "Neither do I."

The leader stared at her.

Then—he turned.

The other wolves followed.

Ember blinked. "Did they just—"

"They agreed," Ymir said simply.

Ember stared after them, then back at her. "You are way too good at making allies out of things that should probably eat you."

Ymir allowed herself a smirk. "Let's go. We have work to do."

The wolves vanished into the forest, but Ymir knew they would return. They understood.

And when the time came, they would fight.