Chapter Text
Levi POV
The air smelled foreign but was laced with the familiar note of a fresh start and Levi gently pulled the ropes off New’s body, letting her join in with the other horses who were running off to explore their new home. They had been on the road since the last full moon, finally arriving at their destination today, when the moon was almost full once more. Though being their trusted companions, carrying their home, the horses were craving to be with their own, reconnecting with their origins as they ran side by side, muzzles burrowed in the others’ manes.
Levi allowed himself to stand by his cart for a while, watching New race the stallion who had fathered her foal two summers ago with a soft smile. They had always gotten along well and though she was quite a bit older than the young stallion, she was in no way falling behind. If anything, the young one was struggling to keep up with her powerful struts and Levi felt a wave of pride come over him as he watched her incredible strength and speed that no one else could compare to.
He had known her ever since she was born a tiny foal right next to his tent, and then ended up officially becoming her rider at his very first coming of age ceremony. He remembered it as if it were yesterday: the young mare, as deep black as a new moon night, holding her head high and on alert until she spotted him among the two dozen young men and women who were looking for a horse to choose them so they could finally pass the ritual.
To think that it had been over twelve winters since they had chosen each other for life still made Levi’s insides tickle. Twelve winters by her side, twelve winters with purpose. Twelve winters since he had finally been able to make a name for himself – all because of her.
To this day, Levi wondered why New had chosen him so early on. Was it because he had been there since her first day? Was it because she lost her mother just like he had lost his? How could she have known when she was born at least ten summers after he killed his mother in childbed in a hot summer night?
He remembered being terrified when their clan’s healer had announced New being with child. Afraid of history repeating itself, the two of them following the same fate as their mothers. But New broke their curse, birthing the most beautiful foal Levi had ever set his eyes on.
Her foal was just as black as she was, but her head was of the warm brown that covered her father’s whole body. She had yet to be named, that honour being reserved to the person whom she would choose as her rider.
Levi let his eyes wander a little, finding her frame right when the young one spotted her parents, running off with a flying mane to catch up with them as they were reaching the white forest that surrounded the wide area of green wasteland they had chosen as their new home.
Levi’s vision was struggling to make out their silhouettes, a deep breath leaving his chest as he turned around to unpack his cart that was considerably smaller than the ones others had brought with them.
He didn’t need much to get by, to fulfil his duty.
He wasn’t a handyman; he wasn’t talented in making things.
He wasn’t a blacksmith; he could only wield their weapons.
He wasn’t someone who created beautiful things, though he sometimes wished he could capture the beauty of the world around them more proficiently than he did in secret.
He was a warrior – though he wasn’t sure if anyone outside his clan would call him that.
He was a protector, the shield of their clan, throwing himself between the danger and their people, protecting them so they could create beauty without having to worry about the darkness the world brought.
All Levi carried with himself was his tent, a notebook he had purchased in a city a few years ago, a few pieces of almost used-up charcoal in a protective case, his hairbrush and a change of clothes that was identical to the ones he wore right now.
His clothes were simple: Pants which were proficiently crafted from bison leather, including incisions that would allow him to store his knives and several straps offering the possibility to tighten and loosen them in case an additional undergarment was needed. Beige linen shirts that were often worn with a protective layer of the same bison leather, kept in place by similar straps as the pants. He also owned one woollen cloak that protected him against rain, the residue oils in the fibres making it waterproof. For winter they wore different ones made from whatever animal lived in the area in which they currently resided. Those were transported in the bigger carts, pulled by the draft horses who were handling more weight than New would ever tolerate.
After one last glance in New’s direction, Levi threw his long braids over his shoulder and started digging holes for the poles of his tent, luckily finishing quickly as the ground was of the perfect composition. With the help of two of his fellow protectors, he raised the wooden skeleton easily and covered it with the inner layer of fabric.
Their tents were simple constructs but consisted of the wooden skeleton and two layers of fabric. The outer one was made of slightly thicker material than the inner, woven tight, because it was meant to collect the rain, leading the water down back into the ground while the layer below insulated the tent from the inside. The two layers of fabric were kept apart by a hand’s length so they wouldn’t touch – if they did, the water would leak inside instead of following the outer layer into the ground.
When his and the other protectors’ tents were standing, Levi walked to the area which was going to be their main square in just a few days, helping with the building of community tents while the others were raising up the clan leader’s.
“Levi-Ka could you help carry this over to Farlan-ti’s tent?” One of the young girls that surrounded him asked, and Levi felt a smile creep onto his face upon hearing him refer to his friend with his title of honour as the new clan teacher.
“Sure.”
“Thank you!”
Together, they carried several logs that would make up the foundation of their tent of teachings, where the youngsters would be taught basic knowledge and skills, they needed to become a fully functioning member of their clan.
They worked until late at night when the last bit of sunlight disappeared behind the majestic mountains that were visible in the distance. They had been blessed with good weather which meant that they had plenty of time to set up camp without having to worry about mold and unstable foundations due to muddy ground.
There would be no rain before tomorrow night, one of their elders had announced, reading the sky proficiently and almost always accurately and therefore they were in no rush to finish up before nightfall.
Most of their members were carrying the last few things into their tents, following their nightly rituals before resting up after their travels that had started many, many days ago.
Levi too, finally returned back to his tent in almost complete darkness, the soft humming of the others guiding his way as he familiarized himself with the area so he would find his way also in the darkest of nights.
Silence set upon their clan, their members falling asleep in their new home and Levi sat onto the re-purposed cart which he had turned around so it could serve as an elevation for him to sleep on.
Despite feeling the exhaustion in his bones and his hands were sore and bruised from carrying wood, he removed his leather shoes, placing his feet onto the cold ground, connecting himself to earth. Finally grounded, he took a deep breath and reached for his first braid, opening it up while humming softly.
He hummed with closed eyes, slowly, using only one breath while his fingers were de-tangling his hair with fast well-trained movements, leading the vibrations into the ground where he left his gratitude for the past day.
With one of his two braids completely open, wavy, black hair now covering his shoulder down to his navel, Levi took another deep breath to repeat that same process, this time letting his prayers for the coming day seep into the ground as the past morning’s braid was losing shape with every layer he opened. Leave the day behind him, making space for the new one just like he had been taught by his father when he was just a youngster.
The movements were executing themselves, no vision nor attention needed, and Levi soon reached for his hairbrush, his humming ebbing out while he was combing through his long thick hair, noticing that he would have to wash it soon. He took his sweet time, brushing it through until it was silky soft, and he could finally let the day end.
In the distance he could hear the small stream making its way through the land reminding him that they have finally arrived. He stretched out his arms and legs, making sure to keep his hair on his body instead of beneath him to avoid a mess tomorrow and keep him warm.
Lying in his tent, he fell asleep, from time to time hearing the cry of an eagle owl and in a moment of clarity, he wondered if the rustling next to his tent could be mice living underground, stirred up by their arrival.
Morning came fast, the cold air inside his tent waking Levi up shortly before the sun would rise. It was his duty to wake up their clan leader which meant he rarely ever slept covered in fur like it was the custom. He didn’t mind the cold. It was a good reminder of how much time had passed as the warmth of the previous day that remained inside his tent rarely lasted until the new morning broke.
With trained fingers, Levi brushed through his hair a few times before pulling it back tightly to braid it for the new day. It was a simple yet sacred ritual that all members of their clan followed and there hadn’t been a day he forgot. With his hair woven tightly into two long braids, Levi stepped out of his tent, taking in the smell of a fresh morning, wondering what was in store for them today.
“Levi-Ka.” Mike’s voice pulled him back into reality and he nodded in his friend’s direction.
“Mike-ka.” He replied before they walked to one of the water containers that were scattered around the camp, washing their faces.
“I will explore the land around the lake before the sun sets later today.” Levi said, informing the fellow protector that he wouldn’t be around for their shared meal.
“You always explore the land on the first day. You don’t have to tell me. I know.” The latter replied, his face dripping wet from the cold water which someone had collected from the stream yesterday.
“Thank you.”
Mike was a few years older than him, having passed the coming-of-age ritual the same year he had, made them have a similar, high, position within their clan’s hierarchy. Despite knowing each other well, Levi was surprised that the older had noticed. He was a lot more attentive than some would have expected.
Levi never told anyone what he did on the first and last day in a new home. Not because he was afraid to do so, but because it didn’t matter. No one ever asked, so he wouldn’t tell.
No one asked that day either and so it came that Levi packed light, a full waterskin wrapped around his torso, his notebook and the remaining charcoal tightly secured between the leather straps of his chest piece and his shirt.
Despite having the world to explore, New was never far and all that was needed was for Levi to call for her twice, whistling through his fingers in their very personal pattern. She came running after a while, seemingly appearing out of nowhere with her mane pulled back by the wind.
“Thank you.” Levi said softly while holding his hand out so New could greet him after she slowed down. With every strut in his direction, she appeared bigger and bigger until she finally stood before him, towering over her rider, dwarfing him.
A content snort later, she pressed her muzzle against Levi’s palm, greeting her rider before letting him run his hand over her bowed head, enjoying the fingers between her ears. Levi chuckled as he felt his mind opening up for hers and he pulled a strand of hay from her mane.
“Are you ready for a ride?”
As if she understood what he said, she pulled up her head in a neigh and stomped her legs in excitement, knowing well that Levi wouldn’t just call her over for nothing.
“Easy there.” Levi said with a big smile on her face before patting her flank three times, letting her know that he would be getting on. She held completely still as he took a hold of a tuft of her mane, jumping up to get his leg high enough so he could get on her back. It used to be easier to get on when she was still a young mare. But while Levi had barely grown since his coming-of-age ceremony, she had gotten considerably larger, making it a challenge to get on her back even for him who rode her so regularly – not that anyone else ever really attempted.
“Thank you.” He said as he was getting settled on her back, thankful for her trust and her patience. Levi felt the familiar small twitching of New’s muscles beneath his legs, feeling her excitement. When he found himself stable enough, he fisted the lowest part of her mane with his right hand, gently pressing his heels into her side to get her to move – which she immediately did.
He ducked down low to accommodate her acceleration, minimizing the resistance as she was building up speed until she was galloping across the field towards the wood that lined a beautifully clear lake. Her body was hot, muscles moving between his legs while he breathed in her distinct scent, the world passing by him in a daze.
It was moments like these where Levi felt most happy, away from everything, alone with the one who never looked at him with sympathetic or overly admiring eyes. Away from expectation and the constant reminder of past tragedies. His piercings the only witnesses left.
New pulled through at full speed until they arrived at the turquoise lake, where she slowed down to drink and let Levi get off her back. While she was enjoying the water, Levi immediately rid himself of his clothes, only the black lines of his tattoos still covering his skin. It was warm enough not to freeze so he took his time folding his garments, placing them onto a rock gently.
After making sure they would not be damaged, he opened his fresh braids, letting his wavy long hair cover his backside almost entirely before he walked over to the water.
It shouldn’t have been a surprise, he could have prepared himself, but he was still taken aback that, upon dipping his toes into the calm water, he shivered. The water was ice cold.
Levi took his sweet time getting accustomed to the freezing water, letting himself slide into the water when he was ready, immediately turning on his back to float in the water while watching the clouds travel over the blue sky. His hair was floating around him, some of it sticking to his naked skin and while it was hard to breathe with the ice-cold water moving over his body, he wished to be nowhere else.
He ended up swimming for a while until the moment when he could feel his whole body tremble from the cold, washing himself in a hurry before getting out of the water with tired, reddish limbs.
New approached him with content steps, pushing her head against Levi’s wet side, demanding attention - which she received, the small male petting her head, paying extra attention to the area between her ears where she loved to be petted the most.
It was weird how she, despite having a strong drive for freedom, never left his side when they were away from the clan. Sometimes, Levi thought that she might be just as afraid of losing him as he was of losing her.
He shook off the majority of the water still sticking to his skin before drying off his hands on his linen shirt as he was looking for his notebook and the charcoal.
Whenever they arrived at a new place, he would try to draw their new home as viewed from different places, making sure to collect the landscapes he lived in so he could look back to them, remember them even many, many summers from now.
Levi knew that his penmanship was nowhere near good enough to impress, he barely managed to capture the most basic shapes, but he was gradually improving. While the first image would probably just be recognised as a place by himself, he was now managing to capture the essence of the landscape even if the execution was still lacking.
It was the same with this place, he thought while pulling the charcoal over the uneven paper, trying to bring the beauty of the mountain range in the back of their camp onto it.
While Levi was working, the wind got colder, announcing the breaking evening, making his hair dry faster but his nude body shivering.
New seemed to notice because it wasn’t long until she was standing beside him, nudging him to get up.
“Give me a little more time?”
Of course, she wasn’t having any of it and kept nudging him until he was unable to draw a straight line, pressuring him into putting his clothes back on. She seemed more distressed than usual which worried him. Did she sense something he did not?
“Alright. Alright.” He reassured her while putting the charcoal back into the small box, putting his things aside so he could braid his hair.
It was harder to braid freshly washed hair, especially as he hadn’t brought a brush, but his fingers were working proficiently, de-tangling hair while he braided them into his usual braids.
When he was fastening the leather bands that kept his pants in place, he heard a pained scream from the distance – it definitely wasn’t human. Maybe this was what New had sensed? Were there wild horses in the area? Was it one of theirs?
Levi wouldn’t have worried had the painful screaming not continued, New getting nervous beside him, staying on high alert, her head held high, and her ears pointed in the direction the sounds were coming from.
“You want to check?” Levi asked as he tucked his drawing materials back between his chest and his chest piece, checking if his knife was properly settled in his pants in case that it was robbers.
With everything secured, he patted her flank three times, getting up on her back before thanking her for her trust.
“Let’s go.” He said, digging his heels into her side, the majestic black horse immediately building speed until they were galloping towards the pained sounds. Maybe it was one of theirs who got lost and injured? In any way, they had to go check up on it, the mere thought of leaving an injured horse without care felt inherently wrong.
Levi set his eyes on the horse first before he noticed the distressed man beside the red stallion. He halted in his movements, observing the stranger from afar, staying unnoticed himself.
He wore his blonde hair short, so Levi could be sure that he wasn’t one of theirs even if his skin indicated a life outside. Maybe he was a farmer?
No, Levi decided, his clothes were too clean. And what would a farmer do out here by himself?
Maybe it was safer not to make contact. Maybe he should just turn around and let that man handle his horse on his own. Maybe- Levi shook his head, how bad could it be? He was strong enough to defend himself, and if anything went wrong, New was most definitely faster than that red stallion, even if he weren’t lame.
Sitting up straight on New’s back, he made her walk over to the distressed male and his hurt horse, hoping the man would understand that he wanted to help them.
“Do you need help?” Levi said softly, unsure if the stranger would understand what he said.
“Oh! Thank the heavens.” The man said, releasing a deep sigh while bending over, his stallion’s eyes mustering New curiously, holding up his lame hoof.
“Can I help you?” Levi repeated, unsure what to make of the other man’s words.
“If you could take me to the next town, I would be in your debt. I will compensate you plenty when we get there. Though I am unsure if my horse can make it that far. He hurt his ankle when we passed by the river and has been lame ever since. I have been walking by his side to not apply any more pressure on his leg, but he can barely stand on it anymore and I am afraid he will not be able to handle the pain much longer. What if his leg is permanently damaged?”
Levi’s head was spinning. He wasn’t a man of many words and this stranger spoke in a way he could hardly understand.
“What does permanently damaged mean?” he asked, tilting his head.
“Uhm…” The stranger’s pretty eyes widened further as he looked up at Levi who was still sitting on New’s back, towering over the other. “Broken forever?”
“Ah.” Levi replied before jumping off New’s back, his long braids slapping against his back when he landed. Now it was him who had to look up at the stranger. “Can I see?”
“Oh… Uhm… Yes.” The stranger stuttered, watching as he approached his horse, the red stallion watching him with cautious eyes but didn't show any sign of hostility.
“He’s not damage permant” Levi said after releasing the stallion’s leg.
“Mhh Good.” The stranger hummed wide-eyed as New was sniffing his face, towering over him.
“I can take you to our camp. We have a good healer. She can heal your horse.” Levi said, watching closely how New was behaving around the stranger. She wasn’t particularly fond of people usually, but had curiously approached this man on her own accord.
“That would be splendid.” The tall man said, eyes fixed on New, as if he were afraid.
“She likes you. Don’t be afraid.” Levi reassured, trying not to show his surprise in her actions. “What is splendid?”
“I mean… That would be good. Thank you.” The stranger said, hesitantly holding out his hand for New to smell.
She bumped her nose against the outstretched palm and Levi tilted his head. She didn’t act like this with anyone. So why would she show such clear affection towards this stranger?
“Give me that.” Levi pointed at the bag that was laying on the ground, but the other male seemed hesitant to hand it over.
“I am not a robber. Your horse should not carry heavy weight. I will put it on her.” He offered, patting New’s side but the stranger shook his head.
“Don’t worry about that, I can carry it myself.”
“You should pay attention to your horse, not carry bags.” Levi said, not understanding why the other didn’t see that it was the best option.
“I am fine. Really. But thank you for the offer. I am thankful enough that you are taking me to your camp. I have been traveling incredibly far and if my maps are correct, there aren’t any large settlements around this area so meeting you feels like a dream. Where is your camp even? It mustn’t be a permanent settlement if it isn’t marked on my maps, is it?”
Levi’s eyes drew together, trying to follow what the other male was saying. “What is a settlement?”
“Oh, sorry. Uhm… A settlement is a place where many people live together.”
“Then my home is a settlement. But it isn’t the same forever.”
“You’re nomads?” The stranger asked, but apparently picked up on Levi’s hesitation, explaining: “People who move their camp to another place from time to time.”
“Ah. Yes, we are nomads.” Levi nodded and pet New’s muzzle before leading the way back to their camp.
“I am Erwin Smith, May I know how I am supposed to call you?” The tall man asked after a while of them walking side by side silently.
“Levi. Just Levi.”