Time: 8 years ago
Pain.
Earl kept his legs moving as fast as possible- he could hear the hounds pounding at the ground right after them, their howls reaching the heavens as they slowly gained on him. No, no- His left foot tripped on a branch, causing Earl to tumble and fall to the ground. No- Eyes widening with fear, Earl tried to move faster as he scrambled up from where he had fallen. Whipping his hair back, he could see that the hounds were but a few meters behind him. “All this for a piece of meat!” The young boy of but 13 wailed, tears streaming down his face as he started off again as fast as possible. But it was no use. His shoes peeled off of his heels, torn and tattered; his shirt flew in the breeze, filthy and torn, showing the pale white skin Earl had underneath. He was starving- the running made him even more hungry, as sounds of starvation rumbled forth from his stomach as his mouth panted, cold shimmering clouds of vapor leaving his mouth every time.
This had been his life for the past few weeks; running, ducking, crying, it was not much different from what he had been doing in the orphanage. Quick, here. Earl ducked and ran down a small alley as a pungent smell wafted from the walls that lined the tiny street, wide enough to fit but one child inside. But the dogs followed, their barking echoing throughout the empty streets. A fence faced him, taller than a man- but there were holdings that humans could hold onto- not made for dogs. As quickly as possible, Earl climbed over the fence, doubling over in pain when he scratched his leg against the wall- but he couldn’t stop. The meat parcel first went over, hitting the ground in a dull thump, then did Earl, his light scrambling causing eyes to appear in the windows that lined the walls of the alley, judging him coldly as he finally toppled over the fence, the hounds growling and biting at his heels as they stopped on the other side. Yes! Without a second thought, he immediately turned and ran away again. Though his legs were tired, Earl could not stop- he had to ensure his victory. His success. He could not stop to celebrate- he wanted to reach new heights.
“I pronounce Earl Godfrey forever banished from the lands of Karanese District, and forever reside in the boundaries between our land and even outside of Wall Maria.” He had left with no regrets, but with thin clothing on his back and many bruises that lined his face and body. And then, from there, he had joined the mountain bandits- they had treated Earl like dirt, though he had experienced many more hardships than them. He had slowly killed them off one by one, tired of the constant rowdy companionship that he had once relied on as friends and company. With them, Earl had spied his first titan, and with them, Earl had bloodied his hands. But it did not matter- he stayed alive and managed to some how smuggle himself into the barriers of Wall Rose when the colossal titan had attacked.
Finally.
Earl had dropped his knife, his hands red with the blood of the last mountain bandit member. From where he stood, now, on a small hill in the Shiganshina district, everything was as clear as day. The sudden standstill as the Titan’s head appeared above the walls- the sudden kick and flying debris that flew away due to his colossal kick, breaching the wall. With the colossal Titan, the other smaller Titans followed- and then the scramble into Wall Maria started, as people screamed to get away from the jaws of the Titans. Earl had been lucky- he had been one of the first to return into Wall Maria, though he had been exiled a few years ago. It did not matter; everyone was scrambling away from the Titans- the guards could not do anything to an ex-convict, much less one that had changed in many ways than one. It surprised him, even further; that no one felt perturbed by the constant smile he had had on his face, unable to change the expression to one more somber. They had let him pass; they minded him in no way probable.
And then he had enrolled into the military, becoming a prospective trainee to enter into corps to either kill Titans or keep other humans away from the inner walls. He had been an excellent student; no one could have guessed his lack of care towards others and the world itself. And now, after but a few years, his prowess was to be put to the test against actual Titans. He could not wait- but he would have to. Earl was not one to rush into his needs or to push his luck too far. It would not be in his favor if others found out about his unstable mental state.
Noisy. Earl’s eyes flickered towards the bright blue hair of his partner standing but a few steps in front of him. His own hair was as eye-catching, a pale white amongst a throng of colorful hair colors, pronouncing him as ‘different’. It didn’t matter much. Earl leaned back against the wall that stood right behind him, the solid stonewall cold against his back. Earl knew, however, that Hiro would probably chew him out later if he did not come up any time soon, especially with time running out so fast. He sighed and ruffled his hair, the bags under his two eyes pronounced and dark, hinting already at the extremely bad mood Earl was in as he took a few steps forward and then turned so that he stood right in front of Hiro. The frown on his face grew larger when he took his partner in with a one glance over. “You called?” He drawled out, as he pulled a knife from his belt and flicked it into the air and then caught it when it felt back down in a twirling trajectory.
But before the other could answer, screams burst into the air. The air in the barracks tensed as a senior member of the scouting legion walked into the barracks and sat at the large table at the front of the room that all the trainees were now standing in. He opened his mouth, but he already had his eyes fixed on a few occupants of the room. It was obvious that this man knew whom he wanted to talk to- and what they looked like. "I want those whom ranked top 20 in the 147th legion of the trainee class to stand forth along with their partners. We will need you immediately at the front line." Without a second word, he got up again and left the room- it was an obvious sign for the ones who fit the criteria to move out of the room as well. "Keh." Earl spat, shaking his head as he stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Come on, useless." He said over his shoulder to Hiro before walking off himself, as he stuffed his twitching hands into his pockets.
Finally.